The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up their final restricted free agent Friday afternoon, agreeing to terms on a two-year, $2.5-million contract with defenseman Martin Marincin.
He'll earn $1.2 million this upcoming season, and an additional $100,000 in 2017-18, the Maple Leafs announced.
Marincin found a home in Mike Babcock's simplistic defensive system after a trying start to his NHL career as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. With strong possession numbers and a positive goal differential relative to his teammates, Marincin emerged as one of Toronto's more effective even-strength defensemen, despite offering essentially no offensive upside.
With the deal, the Maple Leafs did manage to squeeze all their restricted free agents under the cap, but now have negligible cap room with a backup goalie still needing to be signed.
It's believed that Toronto's recourse will buying out the remainder of Jared Cowen's contract.
