The Toronto Maple Leafs were the talk of NHL free agency day, signing John Tavares to a monster seven-year deal, but general manager Kyle Dubas might not be done making moves.
Fourth-line forward Matt Martin is garnering trade interest, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
Martin was a frequent healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs this past season, playing only 50 games in 2017-18 and was benched in the playoffs after suiting up for each of his team’s 82 regular-season and six post-season games the year prior.
Martin has two years remaining on the four-year, $10-million deal he signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2016.
The 29-year-old was paid a $1.5-million signing bonus on Sunday leaving just $2.5 million in remaining dollars owed over the next two years — meaning he’s a more affordable player today than he was prior to July 1.
Maple Leafs management has made it known to other teams that Martin is available, as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston pointed out on Twitter.
Even with Tavares’ $11 million annually now on the books, the Maple Leafs currently don’t have to worry about cap space but that could change rather quickly when the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander get their next contracts.
Getting Martin’s $2.5-million cap hit off the books would benefit the team, especially considering Martin lost his spot in the lineup midway through last season. Martin only suited up for three games after Jan. 22.
“It’s a weird feeling. It’s harder to watch the game than it is to play it,” Martin said back in February when discussing the hardships of life as a healthy scratch. “Watching is the hardest. I get so much anxiety just sitting there. You feel like you can’t control anything — and that’s hard.”
Since the 2010-11 campaign, Martin leads all players in hits with 2,460 (4.4 hits per game) and ranks fourth in the NHL in total penalty minutes with 827. He is also lauded for being a good teammate and positive influence in the room.
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