Randy Carlyle: "Obviously, I made a mistake."

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle was disappointed with what happened Sunday. He also accepted responsibility.

“Obviously, I made a mistake.”

It is a mistake that could hurt Carlyle and the Toronto Maple Leafs in so many ways.

A day after “the brawl” the Maple Leafs head coach was still trying to figure out what happened.

“I never believed in my wildest dreams the attack would come directed at that type of player from the opposition, but I was wrong,” said Carlyle.

When David Clarkson left the bench to defend Phil Kessel from 6-foot-8 giant John Scott, he created a plethora of issues for the team.

Clarkson has been suspended for the first 10 games of the season, Phil Kessel will likely be suspended for his stick work on Scott, and the Leafs will feel this on the salary cap.

You see, the cap hits of suspended players remain on the team’s books.

The Leafs did sign Mason Raymond to a 1-year, $1M deal. But that leaves them with little wiggle room to get to the cap by opening night.

This incident could be a benefit for the likes of Carter Ashton ($1.04 M), Troy Bodie ($600,000) and TJ Brennan ($550,000). They make little money and could start the year with the Leafs in the short term.

“It (the salary cap) is awfully tight and it is close. It just makes other situations more difficult to complete,” said Carlyle.

That it does. In fact, the Leafs may decide to start the year with a 21 man roster – not the usual 23 – in a way to stay under the $64.3 M cap.

What does this mean for hold-out Cody Franson? Let’s just say it’s not good and this doesn’t help his cause.

All of this the result of a brawl – in a pre-season game.

This brawl started after Buffalo’s Corey Tropp fought Jamie Devane. Tropp initiated the fight – but lost.

Devane fell on Tropp and the Sabres forward hit his head on the ice. That prompted the Scott incident.

Carlyle  – who had last line change – didn’t replace Kessel with one of his tough guys because he felt with a skilled player on the ice, that would “defuse the situation.”

“I would have went after whoever they lined up next to me,” said Scott.  “I don’t know what their coach had in mind. I was’t going to hurt him, I was just trying to send a message.”

“All night long he matched up with what he wanted the whole night,” said Sabres coach Ron Rolston. “He had last line change, he had the matchups.”

The one-time Carlyle didn’t match lines, it cost his team – and will cost his team – for the first month of the season.