Maple Leafs' RFAs Kadri, Franson remain unsigned

Restricted free agents Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson showed up at the Toronto Maple Leafs' annual charity golf classic Tuesday despite not having a contract for the upcoming season.

They will not be participating in training camp next week if they remain unsigned, Maple Leafs vice president of hockey operations Dave Poulin told reporters at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ontario.

"They've been issued training-camp invitations," Poulin told reporters, according to the Toronto Star. "If they're not signed by the start of camp, obviously they won't be at camp. From that point on, we're not talking about it. We won't talk about players who aren't at camp, only players who are at camp."

Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported on his Twitter feed that Kadri said he and his representatives are waiting for the Maple Leafs to make another contract proposal. He's reportedly seeking a multiyear deal after scoring 44 points in 48 games last season, the final one on his three-year entry-level contract.

"It just seems that everybody who doesn’t know the situation seems to know what’s best for me," Kadri told the Toronto Sun. "Hopefully we can come to an agreement soon.

"I'm just kind of waiting on them so I can get to training camp and get the whole process going. I'm just doing whatever I can to get ready for camp."

The Maple Leafs reportedly favor a shorter-term contract, similar to the two-year contract the Montreal Canadiens gave defenseman P.K. Subban, who missed the first four games of last season because of a contract dispute.

Johnston tweeted that Franson said his representation has been in touch with the organization and he expects to sign a one-year contract, but he was mum on any potential details, saying he didn't have a feeling if a deal was imminent.

Coach Randy Carlyle told the Sun it is important to have Kadri and Franson on time.

"Some players, [missing training camp] has a lingering effect over the course of a season," Carlyle said. 'There's nothing that can replace training camp. There's eight exhibition games. There's numerous practices. ... There's conditioning, there's systems work. All that stuff is a process. ... Every player should be a part of it."

The Maple Leafs have about $4.9 million remaining under the $64.3 million NHL salary cap, according to Capgeek.com. However, teams are allowed to operate 10 percent over the salary cap until they have to submit their opening-night roster.

Poulin said the team's contract offers to Kadri and Franson are not affected by the salary-cap restrictions. He specifically called the offer to Kadri fair.

"It's representative of the body of work that he has done in his time here," Poulin said.