Leafs called out for cheating by another Canadian fanbase

In case you missed the news yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that goaltender Matt Murray will be placed on long-term injury reserve for the entire 2023-24 NHL season. Thus meaning that the entirety of his $6.25 million cap hit will NOT be applied to the Leafs' salary cap.

Well... kinda.

A full 75% of Murray's $6.25 million cap hit will not count against the salary cap for the Leas, that much is true. But the remaining 25% of his salary, which is just over $1.5 million, will count against the salary cap for the Ottawa Senators. This is because the Sens retained 25% of Murray's contract in a trade last offseason with the Leafs. So, while the Leafs get to bury Murray's salary away from the cap, the Senators aren't so lucky.

An explanation from Sens insider Ian Mendes:

Call me crazy, but that sounds like a different set of rules for each team. Then again, these sort of loopholes are clearly defined in the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) so the Leafs are 100% within their rights to operate in this manner. Still, you can't blame Sens fans for feeling a bit ripped off. Even after ditching Murray and then watching his career flame out in a single disastrous season in Toronto, it's still the Senators who are having to deal with the fallout while the Leafs get to walk away unscathed. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but this is all a bit too convenient for the NHL's most powerful and lucrative franchise.