Saturday FTB: seeing double, and the myth about two-way contracts

We need to start this newsletter with a debunking, specifically for this tweet:

In case you missed it, the Leafs signed Alex Nylander to an NHL contract while putting Matthew Knies on IR.

Maple Leafs Sign Alex Nylander, Place Knies on IR

You can never have too many Nylanders.

PPP LeafsBrian S

The moves are as follows, Nylander's AHL contract with the Marlies ended immediately and he is now on the Leafs roster. In order to make room, Knies was placed on IR. IR keeps the player's cap hit on the books, but opens up a roster spot for a replacement. LTIR has a mandatory minimum duration but allows the cap space to be extended momentarily (did I say that alright, Cathy??).

Back to the Johnston tweet. He said the Leafs signed Nylander to a one-way deal. Back when I had time to play the EA NHL video games, one-way deals meant players needed waivers to be sent to the AHL and two-way deals meant players didn't need waivers to be sent to the AHL. It was a game mechanic that (as far as I knew) didn't mimic the real world.

In today's NHL, it definitely doesn't mimic the real world. One- and two-way deals are to specify how much money a player can make in the NHL vs AHL. On a one-way deal worth $775k, a player makes that much in either the NHL or AHL. On a two-way deal, there is a negotiated AHL salary that is usually less than the listed NHL salary, so getting sent down is a pay cut and any time in the NHL is a bonus depending on your outlook.

Take Nicholas Abruzzese for example. He could make $775k in the NHL (divided onto the daily timescale of the league) if he ever got called up there. But in the AHL he makes $250k. Abruzzese also required waivers to be sent to the Marlies during training camp because he's over the age of 24. The waivers rules are definitely more intricate than this but that is not the purpose of this exercise.

So when Johnston says those two facts that are independent of each other, I hope he doesn't think two-way contracts are waivers exempt. Maybe when Alex Steeves on a two-way deal gets sent back down to the Marlies – after going through waivers – Johnston will figure it out.

Moving on, last night the OHL saw two Leafs prospects go head-to-head, with Easton Cowan's London Knights play Sam McCue's Owen Sound Attack. Cowan had two assists and a shootout goal, while McCue had two goals and a shootout goal. London won the game 4-3 in the shootout.

Here are a couple Blueprints from the Leafs. One a preview for the team's Sick Kids visit, the other OEL's 1000th game episode.

The Jets beat the Penguins 4-1, and the Ducks gave up a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in overtime to the Sabres.

A look at what the Red Wings might be doing right... or wrong?

It's a rare Saturday where the Leafs don't play (they're hosting Utah tomorrow), so either have a fun weekend off, or enjoy watching some other teams!