Maple Leafs one of many teams forced into salary arbitration

It's a rite of passage in the National Hockey League every offseason, and a handful of players decide to go through the process. Today, a total of 14 players filed for salary arbitration, and the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the squads who now have a decision to make. 

Forward Connor Dewar, whom the Leafs acquired at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline in exchange for Dmitri Ovchinnikov and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Minnesota Wild, is taking the team to arbitration: 

If a deal can't be reached between the two sides before the case officially goes to an independent arbiter, the Leafs will either have to accept the eventual ruling, or reject it and allow Dewar to become an unrestricted free agent. 

After being acquired by the Leafs from the Wild, Dewar scored one goal with four assists in 17 games played, while also adding an assist in six postseason games. In 190 career NHL games, he's scored a total of 19 goals with 24 assists. 

His AAV for last season was $800,000. 

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