This Is How It Works

There's nothing special about this year, there's just about 10 versions of this article in our archive.

Will the contract rules get in his way?

Deadline FAQ.

Is the goal blue or white?

Holiday Roster Freeze. No many exceptions, it's more like a roster cooling.

The waiver period opens today, marking the serious business portion of training camp. Cuts can begin as teams have until 5 pm on October 9 to have a cap-compliant roster of no more than 23 players.

How does this all work again? It seems like it's been months since the last one, so a refresher is in order.

June 30 is the deadline this year for Qualifying Offers to RFAs, hard on the draft, there isn't a lot of time for teams to get things organized before free agency opens the very next day.

It's been a few years since buyouts were very relevant to our interests around here, but this year is different. The Leafs have open positions to fill, and they also have that goalie issue.

Just because the Leafs season is over, doesn't mean all the rules governing player movement are suspended. There's more to the CBA than the salary cap.

Is the NHL picking on the Leafs, out to get the Leafs? No, actually, it's because the Leafs said, "Look over here, pay no attention to the hand behind my back," and the league said, "What's that behind your back?"