Could Allison be sent to the Marlies?
As seen in the Toronto Star, could Jason Allison be sent down to the Marlies for the remainder of the season to make some room and bring on another player?
Ken Campbell wrote “One reason why the Maple Leafs have so little room to improve their roster is the $3 million (U.S.) Jason Allison is due to make in bonus money this season.
Allison remains a commodity that cannot be traded because of the money and, while the Leafs could add to their payroll and defer some of Allison’s bonuses to next year’s salary cap, that’s not something that appeals to them.
So here’s one solution that could get the Leafs out from the problem they’ve created for themselves. Before Allison plays five more games, send him to the Toronto Marlies for the rest of the season and potentially save $2.1 million. It may sound preposterous, but it would be a mistake to think that the thought of doing just that hasn’t crossed the minds of the Maple Leafs brain trust.
Here’s how: Allison makes $222,222 in bonus money for every five games he plays after 35 games and up to 70, providing he maintains an average of .65 points per game. He also gets an extra $1 million if he plays 70 games this season. By playing his 45th game of this season in an 8-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Thursday, Allison picked up another $222,222 to bring his bonus total so far to $666,666 in addition to his $1.5 million base salary.
If the Leafs were to dispatch Allison to the Marlies before his 50th game, the money saved could be used to deal for almost $5 million in base salary because the Leafs would be paying less than half of that based on how much of the season remains.
Would it be fair? Absolutely not. But it’s also the reality that teams face in the new NHL.”