If we could have Shea Weber for free, I would take him. He would obviously make our team better this year and next year, plus we could fit him in without making drastic changes. But in years 3-8 on that contract? Not only does it mess with our cap structure, but the guy is going to slow down a lot. We can't afford an $8m guy on the back-end unless he is going to be elite, and I certainly wouldn't put any money on Weber being elite in years 3-8. If we could have him for free, the chance at cups in the next two years would be enough of an incentive that I'd be willing to pull the trigger and then try to figure out an escape route once the time comes.
But of course Weber isn't going to be free. He's still a very good hockey player and the Habs are going to want to get some value for him if they want to move him. If we're paying something like Liljegren and a 1st (I don't care if you don't think that is enough or think it's an overpay, it's just an example to make a point), then the issues of year 3-8 compound even further. The Leafs are just opening up their cup window and have stars on ELCs. We have the opportunity to contend for 10 years here. Why on earth would we go all in on year one and two with a deal that really hurts years 3-8? If Liljegren and our 1st this year turn into impact players we could have a team that is even better than the one we have now. So I ask, why would we trade two years for six years? Shea Weber and his contract do not fit in with the Leafs timeline. If he had two years left, we'd give you a very, very good package. But he has 8 years, so a deal just isn't going to work out.