Friedman: Nikita Zaitsev has requested a trade from Toronto

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

oof.

buyout might be a smart option to be honest... the guy doesnt give you more than a typical million dollar player does. it doesnt hurt your team losing him and going with an elc guy

 

[biturbo19]

Lots of talk about Vancouver looking for RHD. They have cap space. I’m calling Zaitsev to the Canucks. Something like Schaller (cap dump) + Goldobin.
Toronto seems to be on the hunt for cheap forwards with potential. I think Goldobin could be a good fit and could use a fresh start.

Sure, Vancouver has cap space right now and would like to add to their defence, RHD especially. But Zaitsev has a deal running well into the years where the Canucks are going to have to pay Boeser, Pettersson, Hughes et al. It's like the Marleau signing...just fine at the time, cap space to burn, etc. But when Matthews, Marner, Nylander come due for their raises coming off ELC...the Leafs would surely like to dump that Marleau contract now. But worse because of the longer-term.

The only real "cap dump" the Canucks have worth dumping, is Eriksson, which would obviously be a non-starter for the Leafs. Many Canuck fans would considering Brandon Sutter in that realm, but he's actually decent in a particular defensive role, and $4.375M for 2 more years is easily tenable for a team with cap space - compared to 5 more years tied to Zaitsev at a bigger number.

It's a tricky situation because Zaitsev obviously isn't completely a cap dump. He can still be at least a somewhat serviceable #4ish defenceman, especially if he rebounds a bit in a different system. But his contract pretty much poisons any trade talks because of the length. Even teams that have cap space to burn right now on eating cap space for futures value...aren't going to want to handcuff themselves to his salary 4-5 years from now.

Leafs are going to have to really sweeten the pot to find a taker, or take back an equally "serviceable but overpaid" player, which doesn't help with their cap situation, and is tough to find, without resorting to full-blown cap dumps coming back. Hard to see Dubas sacrificing "value" to make that kind of move.

Gonna be a really tough trade to make, without giving up something pretty decent in "value added".

 

[jaric1862]

He'll be able to get moved without any retention They just wont get the best in return.

 

[JetsHomer]

It's funny how some of the some Leafs posters that were saying the Jets would have to move a first+ to get rid of Kulikov or Perreault are now saying players like Zaitsev are positive value actually lol

 

[Leaf Fans]

It's funny how some of the some Leafs posters that were saying the Jets would have to move a first+ to get rid of Kulikov or Perreault are now saying players like Zaitsev are positive value actually lol

Sure, it's HF. Now are others are saying the Leafs will have add something to move Zaitsev. And on again.

 

[JetsHomer]

Sure, it's HF. Now are others are saying the Leafs will have add something to move Zaitsev. And on again.

Zaitsev is a bottom pairing Dman owed 22.5m dollars. Unless they are trading him for Lucic they will have to add significant pieces to move that contract

 

[Leaf Fans]

Zaitsev is a bottom pairing Dman owed 22.5m dollars. Unless they are trading him for Lucic they will have to add significant pieces to move that contract

I think you are thinking of someone else Zaitsev is on the second paring with Muzzin and plays 20 minutes +each night and in all critical defensive situation and in the last minutes of every period and game.

 

[Scintillating10]

Why did the Leafs ever lock him up for 7 years in the first place. He had never played NHL game.

 

[JetsHomer]

I think you are thinking of someone else Zaitsev is on the second paring with Muzzin and plays 20 minutes +each night and in all critical defensive situation and in the last minutes of every period and game.

Then you'd think the Leafs would be desperate to keep him seeing as he plays their most needed position

Why are they so seemingly desperate to move him instead?

 

[Leaf Fans]

Then you'd think the Leafs would be desperate to keep him seeing as he plays their most needed position

Why are they so seemingly desperate to move him instead?

He asked for the trade otherwise,yes, I think they will keep him and they might yet do so.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Why did the Leafs ever lock him up for 7 years in the first place. He had never played NHL game.

Sure he did he got 36 points in his first year. After that he was a potential UFA and Lou locked him up. Now he wants to move on.

 

[ole ole]

I think you are thinking of someone else Zaitsev is on the second paring with Muzzin and plays 20 minutes +each night and in all critical defensive situation and in the last minutes of every period and game.

Now see that's your problem. Playing a bottom pairing Dman as a top 4.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Now see that's your problem. Playing a bottom pairing Dman as a top 4.

I am not doing that.

 

[ole ole]

I am not doing that.

True .Babs is.

 

[Seanaconda]

What has to happen for his contract to be "terminated" and Zaitsev allowed to return to Russia? That never seemed clear. Always seemed sneaky and underhanded, but the league has let it slide.

Both sides have to agree to it , is about it really . I think the only exception is the over 35 rule ?

Asking for a trade and giving up playing in the nhl/ forfeiting your contract are way different things tho.

 

[Leaf Fans]

True .Babs is.

Babs and Cooco the designers? They play video games? Great people though are instrumental helping the Montreal Children's Hospital. As for hockey and the Leafs, we play all of our defencemen where they should be.

 

[Ivan13]

I wouldn't mind a deal based around EJ for Zaitsev and Kapanen. Additions and retentions would need to be obviously worked out as well.

 

[kilowatt]

If he was worth every penny of his contract as no doubt, sure fire high end 4RHD he'd have massive trade value with his term.

He's not, he's a 4-5 with questions and inconsistencies in his game, maybe a million over paid. That million overpayment isn't so massive that it erases the value of a 4-5 RHD in a league starving for them and turns him into a completely negative asset/ cap dump. Definitely brings the value down, making him a good buy low target in a pretty sparse market

That was a pretty good sales pitch but the reality is that overpaid bottom-pairing defensemen - even ones that will “make do” on the second pair from time to time - are a dime a dozen and hold almost zero value.

Is Zaitsev as bad as everyone makes him our to be? I wouldn’t say that his on-ice product is actively harming the Leafs, but his cap and term certainly are. So overall, yes, he has negative value.

No teams are going to be doing Dubas any favors, especially when they know he’s got some big fish to land.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

No logical link between this and the post quoted.

Your ability to follow a line of conversation between two people is on you.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Not to move a player like Zaitsev they don't. Bracco, Hollwell, etc. are not valuable enough pieces to entice someone to take on his contract. I guess you are correct so far as they have "lots of assets". Their assets aren't exactly worth much but they do have a bunch of them.

Ah so the only assets at their disposal are those. Good to know.

Again, Sandin and Liljegren, wet dream.

 

[Vitto79]

My bet is that it’ll be something like the Jets did with Armia & Mason for a nothing depth AHLer.

Zaitsev (30% retention) and Johnsson (RFA rights) for someone’s crappy 25 year old AHL depth guy.

A lot of teams would take that but it’s also 5 yrs Zaitsev vs 1 year of Mason who just got bought out

Marleau in a deal like this maybe ?

 

[Liferleafer]

Why did the Leafs ever lock him up for 7 years in the first place. He had never played NHL game.

Lou Lams special...

 

[Scintillating10]

Lou Lams special...

Quite a gamble on a guy who never had played an NHL game.

 

[Jumptheshark]

He'll be able to get moved without any retention They just wont get the best in return.

Considering we have had suggests on this board saying the oilers would need to add a first to move Russell for anything more than a late pick. I imagine the same is for this guy if not more because he has 5 years left

 

[Liferleafer]

Quite a gamble on a guy who never had played an NHL game.

He signed after playing an 82 game season notching 36 points.