Yeah. From what I've heard they like Zaitsev enough that they don't think his contract is a problem. I think it's very possible we move him there for basically nothing in the summer. I also hold out hope that the plan from the start was for Marleau to retire after getting his last signing bonus, and we send his cap hit to Ottawa, or a team in a similar situation. We'd suddenly have a ton of cap space.
Remove Dermott and Hamilton.
You think we can get a top 6 forward for two bad prospects and a 3rd?
That trade proposal may need some work. Anderson isn't a high level top-6 forward. Similar in production to a player like Zach Hyman. A 40-50 point player. They expressed interest in moving him earlier in the year and his play hasn't elevated that much. A quality package of picks and prospects may interest them. Make the pick a 2nd. Korshkov was a 31st overall pick and Rasanen a 2nd as well. They have intriguing upside given their size and potential. You could look at making Rasanen a different prospect, maybe Ian Scott would be of interest.
NMC's have been moved before. All a player has to do is waive his NMC. The Leafs need cap space and he is the odd man out given his contract. He had two runs with the Leafs and will get almost all his money when his bonus plays out. If he can play a role in selecting his location to be close to certain areas, with no guarantee that the team no matter their situation can't be a contending team in their own right. I think that's pretty good?
The Leafs do have a small amount of cap under my scenario. Maybe, 6M per year over 5 years? How much can he realistically expect? I was under the understanding he was the 3rd pairing RHD in Winnipeg. In Toronto, a comparable top end team he would see himself in the #1 hole next to what might be a finalist for the Norris. He would see a lot of minutes and big situations on a good young team in arguably a better location. I'm not sure how much he can realistically expect on a contract. He hasn't hit 40 points since his rookie season. A small pay increase over mid term seems fair for what he can provide.
Winning a Cup is the last thing Marleau has left in his career.
Teams fluctuate, they can be better next year with a few moves and some puck luck. The addition of Marleau could be one of those moves. If he is willing to open up his destination list to include teams not only in California or Ontario, then I'm sure the Leafs wouldn't have trouble finding a few playoff teams that would welcome him. I'm of the belief that the location may matter more to him given that he has a family, I'm sure he doesn't want to move them too far from familiar places. If he was close by they could live in a location they're used to for his final season.
If the only way Zaitsev can go to Carolina is by the inclusion of Dermott than the Leafs will find another partner.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Agreed.
