In what can only seem like an interesting twist of fate, Miles Wood became part of a massive trade involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Earlier in the day, I had discussed how Wood had fallen on hard times. The Blue Jackets had put him on waivers after failing to make the team.
Then, insider Elliotte Friedman highlighted how desperate Columbus was to get rid of him. The organization had conditioned taking his contract off its hands on any trade involving Kirill Marchenko.
And that’s exactly what the Maple Leafs did. Toronto agreed to take on Wood’s contract, the one he signed with the Avalanche on July 1, 2023, in order to get Marchenko on their team.
But if you think that Wood will get a fresh start in Toronto, that’s unfortunately not even close.
Since Wood has already cleared waivers, he is eligible to head to the AHL without needing to clear waivers again.
And so, that’s where Miles Wood will end up, at least to start the season. The Leafs will have buried about half of his $2.5 million cap hit, potentially giving him a shot at playing some top-six minutes with the Marlies.
But there could be another ultimate outcome to this situation.
Wood might consider terminating the contract he signed with Avalanche
If Wood is serious about playing in the NHL again, he might follow the path Alexandre Texier did last season.
When the St. Louis Blues put Texier on waivers, the two parties agreed to terminate his contract. The termination allowed him to become a UFA and sign with the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens wanted Texier, just not at the previous cap hit he had with the Blues.
That could be the case for Wood. There might have been teams interested in getting him aboard. However, they weren’t keen on taking on his $2.5 million cap hit. But if they could have him at, say, $1 million, things could change.
Now, Wood could be a good marine and just report to the Marlies. He collects his $2.5 million for the next three seasons and calls it a day.
Perhaps injuries might create a path for Wood.
There might even be a team so desperate for depth that they could throw a couple of late-round draft picks Toronto’s way.
Who knows? What does seem saddening to Avalanche fans is seeing a fan favorite down on his luck. Hopefully, we get a chance to see Wood get back into the NHL, even if it is with a rival club like the Maple Leafs.
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