Garret Sparks signs a new one-year deal with the Leafs

The Maple Leafs have signed Garret Sparks to a one-year, two-way deal. #TMLtalk

MORE: https://t.co/r7Dtcjny5R pic.twitter.com/j0kFcm5APo

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) 15 July 2016

The Leafs don't release salary information, but CapFriendly has details.

#CapFriendly CONFIRMED:
Garret Sparks #Leafs
1 year / 2 way deal
NHL: $575,000
Minor: $100,000
($150,000 Guaranteed)https://t.co/G2o6vRkQmB

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) 15 July 2016

The structure of this deal is completely different from Sparks' ELC. He was earning $600,000 in the NHL, $70,000 in the AHL (the maximum allowed on an ELC), and a signing bonus of $70,000. That adds up to $140,000 in AHL salary. But he also had a performance bonus of $100,000 in the old deal, so depending on the conditions on that bonus, he new guaranteed $150,000 may or may not be a raise. It seems likely it is a raise, albeit a small one.

The new NHL salary makes Sparks a friendly callup for a cap ceiling team, with a league minimum effect on the total cap hit. This is part of trend in contracts for borderline or AHL-only players that limits the cap hit and puts all the spending in the AHL side where it only effects the bank balance.

with Sparks signed...#Leafs tentative breakdown:
Proj. Cap: $68.2M
Proj. Space: $4.7M
Roster: 20 (12/6/2)
* 3 Arb cases pending
** 5 RFA's

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) 15 July 2016