Navigating injuries in the salary cap era is a tricky bit of business for a capped out team. The Leafs were in this state only the year before last, when they spent all of their cap space and used the LTIR pool most of the season. They easily maintained a full roster for that season, however, and weren’t troubled too much by the cap constraints. This season is going to be a lot different.
The Leafs will use LTIR all season long, and that will affect everything from the potential for deadline trades, the post-deadline access to recalled players, and the ability to keep above the minimum roster limits if injury strikes.