Taking Advantage of Torontos Cap Situation

That would be bad for Toronto. They woul match but Johnsson and Engvall would have to go and they wouldnt have money to spend on the UFA market. Definitely not the ideal contract.

I don't think Mikheyev is the type of guy to take an offersheet though. He seems very loyal and Dubas bought him cloths while he was in the hospital.

However, I think his contract will be more than 2.5M.

He would need to sign it first, and he wont, so keep trying to take advantage of Toronto's "cap situation".

Why wouldn't he sign something that's offering $1-1.5mil more per year that takes him into UFA status?

Because he is loyal to his team that gave him a chance in NHL and to GM who helped him in most difficult situation in his life. There is more to contracts than just numbers.

Nice, level-headed response. I tried to make it a deal that would be really tough on Toronto. Needed to be more than what Johnsson was making just so one move couldn't be a fix. They'd have to find a couple of moves to make it work. On top of that, it's a deal that works for Mikheyev as well. Brings him into UFA status at 29, makes a total of between $4-5mil extra over the course of the contract than what the Leafs could offer him. Seems like it would be an enticing offer sheet.