Yesterday, in another quest for roster flexibility, the Leafs put Travis Boyd on waivers. Today, he was claimed by Vancouver, the same team that scooped up Jimmy Vesey.

None of this is a surprise. Boyd is even cheaper than Vesey, and can easily play a bottom six role with a little power play on the side. The Leafs now fall back on Alex Barabanov as their depth forward who can move to and from the Taxi Squad to bank space.

There are no defenders who meet that criteria, so Boyd is the only option, meaning he’s going to take continual hits in salary in order for the Leafs to maximize their salary cap. But at least these days the team only does it for that reason, not to pinch literal pennies.