Dave Nonis buys out Grabovski, and states: ?This is a roster move that will give us salary cap flexibility moving forward.? ? 5.5m x 4 years remaining are bought out in the summer of 2013.
This buyout leads to a number of results that have affected this team today.
1: Dave Nonis uses said cap ?flexibility? to sign Clarkson: 5.25m x 7 remaining.
This leads to 0.25m in cap ?flexibility? for 4 years but adds 3 extra years of a 5.25M cap hit.
2: By removing Grabovski?arguably our most complete center at the time?Nonis must replace that center depth?enter Dave Bolland
Nonis trades a 2nd round pick and two 4th round picks for Dave Bolland. Coming off a game winning playoff goal, Bolland was a pending UFA who had only played over 60 games 3 times out of his 6 seasons with the Hawks.
Bolland then plays a total of 23 games, and thankfully does not accept a Leafs contract offer and leaves to Florida.
3: By losing Grabovski, then Bolland who replaced Grabovski, Nonis must replace the replacer of Grabovski.
With Bolland down, Grabovski bought out, and Colburne sent packing for a conditional 4th round pick so that Orr and McClaren could hold roster spots, Nonis must now trade Jesse Blacker and a 2nd for Peter Holland.
4: By using a compliance buyout on Grabovski, the Leafs get stuck with a four year Tim Gleason cap hit.
After unnecessarily buying out Gravovski and in the subsequent move below, Dave Nonis completely botched one of the most valuable assets a GM in a cap era has available: the ability to rid yourself of a contract with no cap penalty.
Nonis has only one buyout remaining with two contracts: Komisarek: 4.75M with one year remaining and Liles: 3.8M with three years remaining
Rather than eating the term of Komisarek?s deal for one year, or alternatively, using a non-compliance buyout on his final year (and leaving the Leafs with a cap hit for two years), and using a compliance buyout out on the contract with less cap but triple the term, Nonis and his ?capologist? decide on a second alternative.
He uses a compliance buyout on Komisarek and leaves the Leafs with Liles? contract, in order to save roughly 1M for one year in term?he then trades Liles for 39 games of Tim Gleason?.and buys out Tim Gleason.
Leafs now have a cap hit for four years that follows: 0.833 in 14/15; 1.8 in 15/16; 1.3 in 16/17 and; 1.3 in 17/18.
