Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The only way the New York Rangers would be able to trade for Toronto Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak and his $4.2 million cap hit would be to buy out defenseman Marc Staal [today]. There has been no indication that they are going to buy him out.
The Rangers sit at $74,454,444, just $545,556 under the cap ceiling.
Sending Nick Holden and a draft pick for Bozak would add an additional $2.55 million. Lias Andersson then likely wouldn’t make the team, but they would still be just over a million over the ceiling.
[Brooks] notes again that there is “zero evidence that Bozak is in play with the Rangers and/or that the club intends to buy out Staal.”
Howard Berger of Between the Posts: The Maple Leafs need a defenseman, the Rangers need a center. The Rangers are apparently dangling Nick Holden, and the Maple have 31-year old Tyler Bozak.
If the teams were to get together on a deal, the Maple Leafs would need to take on another contract to enable Bozak’s contract to fit under the Rangers cap ceiling.