It’s not fear, it’s noticing a trend with players who leave Buffalo. Reinhart, Montour, Erod, Vesey, Sheary, McCabe, and Zadorov, all off the top of my head, looked better upon leaving Buffalo. Players we trade or sign for tend to look better before playing here. So I’m just saying, brace yourselves for that. Meanwhile I’d start to wonder why so many guys play better elsewhere, but that’s just me.
But even ignoring that- we’d just be handing our rival a potential top 6 player at whatever price they like. If he plays hardball or the leafs don’t want him, ok, but he could join a playoff team right away at whatever price, and again- he’d likely click somewhere there.
I think he’s got a few good years left in the right situation- somehow we’d see that happen in Toronto, maybe it won’t happen in Buffalo- maybe we should wonder why that is, sometime.