Reporters are speculating that the Ilya Samsonov contract will be settled out of court, with a low multi-year deal in the low-3's, which would be an amazing deal for the Leafs. No term risk and little money risk. The midpoint between their arbitration filing numbers is $3.65 million.

A Brief History of Goalie Arbitration
There are three goalies heading to arbitration starting this week, and barring settlements in advance, all three have very good to excellent arbitration cases, and will get raises.
Cathy SquiresPPP Leafs

With the roster as described below, the Leafs are $1.6 million over the cap. In the cases where the Leafs are able to get rid of Murray for free (no money left on the books) then they would have $3 million to sign Samsonov and happily close the book on the summer.

Bertuzzi-Matthews-Nylander
Knies-Tavares-Marner
Domi💩-Kämpf-Järnkrok
Holmberg-Lafferty-Reaves

Rielly-Brodie
McCabe-Klingberg
Giordano-Liljegren
Timmins

Murray
Woll

$3 million is probably not enough, but they can squeeze out $300k from each of Lafferty and Timmins by replacing them with cheaper options (both can be buried fully in the minors if necessary). That can bring the number of to about $3.6 million, right around the midpoint of the arbitration filing numbers.

If Murray gets bought out (big if) then they have to find another $600k. That could force them to lose Liljegren, McCabe, or Järnkrok. I don't think these are likely, but we will see.

In Pridham We Trust.

Who are you, New Giraffe Son, err I mean Noah Chadwick? Brigstew answers ahead of the T25U25.

Getting to Know Noah Chadwick | PPP Leafs
Scouting Toronto’s latest defenseman prospect, Noah Chadwick. He profiles as a solid all-around defender who could get even better once he adds some muscle and improves his skating.
Brian SPPP Leafs

My one contribution to the FTB comments yesterday was a joke about this. I don't believe he ever got the ear of the veterans in the room and thus never succeeded on the Marlies. Is he a good coach? Sorry, I couldn't tell you, I wasn't listening.

Who do the Leafs have on defense, and what changes are needed before the season starts as well as before the playoffs.

Projecting the current Maple Leafs defense corps and the possible holes left to fill for playoff time
As we enter the dog days of the NHL offseason, the Maple Leafs have so far waved goodbye to Justin Holl, Luke Schenn, and Erik Gustafsson on defense while welcoming John Klingberg into the fold. It still leaves GM Brad Treliving with seven NHL defensemen on his roster (Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie, Jake…
Alex DrainMaple Leafs Hotstove

Quick aside, I do hate when people compare the Leafs post-deadline with the Leafs at the summer. Of course the team takes a step back after the rentals left. Every team takes a step back (or forward if you're bad) between those two times. Compare the Leafs to who they were 12 months ago, not after the in-season additions. ie. This one.

Various Leafs and Branches

6 Things We’ve Learned From the 2022-23 NHL Season and Offseason
The 2022-23 season has been behind us for over one month now and we’ve reached the No Man’s Land of free agency with most contracts signed. As we live through…
Sara CivianBleacher Report
NHL Power Rankings: Which teams are on the rise at the mid-summer mark?
Though we have yet to see a Matthew Tkachuk-level trade this off-season, some big names have switched sweaters in the past month or so. Ryan Dixon takes a look at where each team stands at the mid-summer point.
| July 19, 2023, 12:06 PMSportsnet
Kraken Extend Hakstol Through 2025-26 Season
As on-ice success grows, Kraken announce contract extension for the architect of team lineup, systems, and culture
NHL.com
FLAMES TO RETIRE MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF’S NUMBER 34
Jersey will be raised to the rafters in ceremony on March 2, 2024
NHL.com
Ottawa Senators part ways with assistant general manager Trent Mann
Ottawa Senators part ways with assistant general manager Trent Mann
NHL.com

From The Branches