Travis Dermott is returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The defenseman and the club agreed to a new two-year contract worth $1.5 million per season.
The 24-year-old Dermott scored two goals and added four assists in 51 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs during the 2020-21 season. He primarily skated on the team’s bottom pair but was elevated at times to the middle pair as needed.
Dermott, a sixth-round pick by the Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft, signed his qualifying offer this past season, a deal that carried a cap hit of $874,125.
He’ll earn $1.25 million this season and $1.75 million next season, according to PuckPedia.com. He’ll remain a restricted free agent at the end of his new contract, at which point the Leafs would need to tender an offer of $1.75 million to retain his rights.
Dermott’s immediate future is still a bit uncertain as the player was linked to possible movement in the NHL Expansion Draft. The Seattle Kraken will select one player from the Maple Leafs on July 21.
It’s not clear if Dermott will be protected or if the Leafs already have a deal in place with the Kraken on who the expansion club will select or not select.
After Toronto’s latest signing, they have 17 players under contract with approximately $9.355 million in remaining cap space, per Puck Pedia.
Dermott played in just three out of Toronto’s seven playoff games against the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. He was a healthy scratch in four games as the club made room for Rasmus Sandin. He switched roster spots before an injury to Jake Muzzin forced both to enter the playoff lineup simultaneously.
Dermott averaged 16:15 of ice time in the three playoff games.
