Senators forward Tim Stutzle takes a shot at the Toronto Maple Leafs

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Cooper Godin
September 18, 2023 (7:40 PM)

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In a recent interview with Ian Mendes of The Athletic, Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle discussed how the team is focused on winning a Stanley Cup with their young core, rather than how much money they're making.

Stutzle went on to take a bit of a shot at their provincial rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and some other teams with players making a lot of money, saying that it's hard for a franchise to win when individuals are getting $10 or $11 million+ AAV.

"Personally, I think if someone is making $10 or $11 million it makes it hard to win with the Stanley Cup." Stutzle said. "But with everyone making under $9 million in our young core, I think we have a really good chance to win. And the only goal I really have is to win a Stanley Cup with this group of guys."

Stutzle has a really good point. The more money a franchise has tied to an individual or individuals, such as Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jonathan Huberdeau of the Calgary Flames, it takes a lot of cap space away from adding depth that's needed come playoff time.

No disrespect to Matthews or Huberdeau, or anyone else making over $10 million per season, they're certainly worth what they're making, it's just the reality of the salary cap era. When it only goes up by $1 million per year, it doesn't help the teams that has a player or multiple players making over $10 million AAV.

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