Restricted free agent Mark Fraser and the Toronto Maple Leafs have differing opinions on what he should be paid next season.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Fraser is asking for $2 million while the Leafs are hoping to sign him for $855,000. If the two sides can’t agree on a deal, they’re set to go to arbitration on Tuesday.
So far this summer we haven’t seen any cases get that far, but the situation the Leafs are in could make things uncomfortable. If an arbitrator splits the difference, Fraser is looking around $1.4 million next season. An award like that would also mean the Leafs can’t walk away from it either.
While Toronto doesn’t have to worry about arbitration with Nazem Kadri, they do have to get him re-signed and will likely have to give him a raise to do that. Adding to that, if the team wanted to retain Cody Franson, something they may not do, it’s possible he could land a deal in the range of $3-$4 million per season. If that happens, then Toronto’s cap situation gets dicey fast.
Time for GM Dave Nonis to show why he was given a five-year extension.