Toronto Maple Leafs: Nikita Zaitsev Asks For Trade

Nikita Zaitsev has informed the Toronto Maple Leafs that he would like to be traded, due to personal reasons.

Whether it is deserved or not, his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs has been quite the rollercoaster ride. Nikita Zaitsev was signed as a free agent out of Russia in 2016 by then GM, Lou Lamoriello and earlier this afternoon TSN’s Bob MacKenzie reported that Zaitsev has asked current GM Kyle Dubas for a trade due to personal reasons.

Zaitsev has five years left on his current seven-year deal, and has an average annual cap hit of $4.5M according to CapFriendly.

Too Much Too Fast

Nikita Zaitsev’s first season as a Toronto Maple Leaf went as smooth as it could have possibly gone for a free agent straight from Russia. In Zaitsev’s 2016/2017 rookie season showcase, he notched thirty-six points in all eighty-two games played. On May 2nd 2017, Zaitsev signed a seven-year deal worth $31.5 million ($4.5M AAV) via CapFriendly. Nobody could have predicted such a contract being given out that easily, especially from a veteran GM in Lou Lamoriello.

Not only was Zaitsev given seven years, he was also given a Modified No-Trade Clause which kicks in on July 1st 2019. Zaitsev will submit a 10 team no-trade list to the Maple Leafs if he is not moved before his Modified No-Trade List kicks in.

The Fall

Nikita Zaitsev played in only sixty games for the Maple Leafs during the 2017/2018 season. It was a season mixed with injuries, flu bugs, and a massive dip in offensive production. Scoring thirty-six points in his rookie season, Zaitsev only managed to score thirteen points in his second season.

Averaging over twenty-two minutes a night as a top-four option on the Maple Leafs blueline, the dip in production was a telling sign that maybe giving seven-year contracts to free agents without a large sample size of NHL experience isn’t the best idea.

The Return

After a miserable second season in Toronto, Zaitsev picked up his game in the 2018/2019 NHL season. Averaging two fewer minutes a night, Zaitsev managed to get his swagger and confidence back. With only fourteen points in eighty-one games played and offensive production an afterthought, Zaitsev’s defensive play seemed to improve significantly.

The 2018/2017 playoffs were not kind to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and once again they were sent home in at the hands of the Boston Bruins in game seven at TD Garden. The bright spot for the Maple Leafs the entire series was the strong play of Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Muzzin. Muzzin and Zaitsev were partners for all seven games against the Bruins top line, and they held their own.

Managing The Request

When Kyle Dubas became the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs this past summer, along came a different approach to the Toronto Maple Leafs management process and player development.

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is now tasked with the job of fulfilling Nikita Zaitsev’s trade request, without deviating or damaging the progress of the process he has instilled into the team and player management.

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