Toronto Maple Leafs Should Look To Sell At Deadline

The Toronto Maple Leafs should be looking to sell at the trade deadline.

Kyle Dubas of the Toronto Maple Leafs should be looking to sell at the trade deadline. A specific asset that is; Nikita Zaitsev.

With trading Zaitsev, the Toronto Maple Leafs take a step back to make three steps forwards down the line.

The organization failed to board the train at the most opportune moment to do so last summer, now there is pressure to get a deal done before the deadline. As of the 1st of July this summer Nikita Zaitsev NTC kicks in, further paralyzing Dubas to improve the roster. (Per CapFriendly).

The time to trade Zaitsev is now!

Nikita Zaitsev.

Paid like a top-pairing defenseman, used as a second-pairing defenseman, plays like a third-pairing defenseman. It’s the best way to describe the chokehold the Zaitsev contract has put on the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the contracts of both Marleau and Zaitsev with a combined value of $10,750,00 really hurt the organization’s ability to further improve their roster. While Marleau’s contract expires July 1st, 2020, Nikita Zaitsev’s contract carries term through the 2023 – 2024 season.

Zaitsev is a defensive liability, he doesn’t set plays up, and doesn’t score so why keep him?

Possible destinations

In my mind, Zaitsev has been traded multiple times. Alas, it’s easier written than done. So who can Dubas turn to? Who could possibly be so stupid to take over the Zaitsev contract? It’s at this time I feel bad that Peter Chiarelli was fired by the Edmonton Oilers, he would’ve sweetened the deal for Toronto probably.

If I were Dubas, my first call would be to Arizona. They have the cap space and can easily carry the Zaitsev contract. Besides, if there is some statistic, god knows what, the Toronto Maple Leafs like about Zaitsev, it would attract the Arizona Coyotes as well, being a very statistic based team.

Another possibility would be something similar to an earlier deal made by the Leafs to shed a bad contract on the blue line, the Dion Phaneuf contract. The Ottawa Senators need to pay somebody to hit the cap floor after selling off half their team.  And, Zaitsev did once score over 30 points, so it’s possible if used differently that he has some offensive upside.

The need to get this deal done is so severe by now, that if it would cost the Toronto Maple Leafs retaining a million of his salary for some years or sweeten the deal with some second-round picks, heck the 2020 first-round pick, they should do it.

Stats from naturalstattrick and capfriendly 

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