Fun fact, LTIRing a contract doesn't create cap space

Thanks for the input, I don’t fully follow the ins and outs of ltir, but doesn’t it allow you spend above the cap if you reach the cap? Thinking Tampa this year? Or leafs in prior years with Horton contract?

Hamilton wants the Pietrangelo deal he wants 8 x $8,800,000 he's not taking less to play in Toronto. And Danault turned down 6 years $30 million to stay in Montreal so he's not accepting less to play in Toronto.

If a player is on LTIR, their salary doesn't count towards the cap. Right now you are 5M over the cap so you need to clear up 5M in cap

LTIR is very complicated but for a simple jist, placing Kesler on LTIR would provide relief up to 6.875M, allowing the team to spend that much over the cap ceiling. Cap friendly calculates that when you drag him to LTIR. You’ll see the cap space number change. So even tho you have Kesler on LTIR you are still 5.5M over.