​The Toronto Maple Leafs added two new residents to Robidas Island, as the club looks to create cap space and roster spots. GettyThe Maple Leafs have found themselves in a familiar place.Toronto placed both Max Domi and Dakota Joshua on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) Wednesday, creating roughly $7 million in additional cap flexibility while simultaneously clearing two roster spots.The timing is certainly convenient.The Maple Leafs entered the season with both players looking increasingly like pieces the organization would have preferred to move elsewhere. The problem was finding another team willing to take on their contracts.Now, Toronto doesn’t necessarily have to find one.With both players injured, the Maple Leafs can leave them on LTIR, create some much-needed roster flexibility and take their time figuring out what comes next.That doesn’t mean either injury is being exaggerated or that the players aren’t actually hurt.It simply means Toronto has very little reason to rush either one back.And that could make this a very useful development for the organization.The Maple Leafs Suddenly Have a Very Convenient SolutionThe Maple Leafs spent much of the summer trying to reshape their roster, and Domi and Joshua were among the contracts that created complications.Domi carries a $3.75 million annual cap hit through 2027-28, while Joshua is entering the third season of a four-year contract worth $3.25 million annually.Those aren’t necessarily impossible contracts to move.But they aren’t particularly attractive ones, either.Toronto couldn’t simply wish them away.That’s where the injuries change the equation.By placing Domi and Joshua on LTIR, the Maple Leafs effectively get their roster spots back while gaining approximately $7 million in artificial cap space. Instead of carrying two injured players on the active roster, Toronto can use that flexibility to bring in healthy bodies.And, perhaps more importantly, there is no immediate reason to accelerate either player’s recovery.That is where the timing becomes so interesting.The Maple Leafs don’t have to publicly decide what to do with either contract right now. They don’t have to find a trade partner. The organization doesn’t have to waive either player. They don’t even have to determine exactly where the two fit once they are healthy.They can wait.If Domi eventually returns, Toronto can reassess the situation then. If Joshua takes longer, the organization can continue using the LTIR space while he recovers.There is nothing unusual about that from a roster-management perspective. Injured players are placed on LTIR all the time.But considering Toronto’s apparent desire to create room for other players, this is an unusually convenient solution to a problem that had been hanging over the organization.For now, the Maple Leafs can simply let time do the work.And that’s particularly valuable when there was never an obvious trade market for either contract in the first place.Elvis