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Toronto Maple Leafs: Nikita Zaitsev Still on the Trade Block with July 1st Approaching

By Lucas Bolt

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 21: Nikita Zaitsev #22 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 21: Nikita Zaitsev #22 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Rumours are still swirling around the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nikita Zaitsev.

Rumours have been swirling that teams are sniffing around the availability of Zaitsev which includes the likes of the Canucks, Oilers, and others.  The Toronto Maple Leafs clearly want to make a move, but the Marner situation is holding everything up.

Many fans know the Leafs are in a cap crunch. Trading Marleau helped over the draft weekend towards clearing space to sign Marner, Kapanen, and Johnsson.

CapFriendly suggests that the Leafs now have $13,540,301 in cap space, but to get all these guys signed they will need to get rid of Zaitsev. He carries a $4,500,000 cap hit for the next five seasons.

The team that I think would be of most interest to see the Leafs make a deal with would have to be the Edmonton Oilers. They are in a stage in their development where they should be making the playoffs annually with some of the high calibre players they possess in the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins. But where they lack in depth is the Leafs strength and that is on forward.

Possible Toronto Maple Leafs Trade?

Jesse Puljujarvi put out a public statement that he wanted to have a fresh start with a new team. This is where the Leafs can pounce.

Puljujarvi is a former fourth overall pick but is starting to look like a bust. Territory that the Oilers have trotted once before with Yakupov.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have Zaitsev and a guy by the name of Connor Brown who played with McDavid on the Erie Otters and had great chemistry.

I’m sure that Connor would be inclined to having him as his right winger as he has speed, grit, can kill penalties and put pucks in the net.

Another player of interest on the Oilers is Matt Benning a 6’1 RHD who only makes $1,900,000 and would be great for the Leafs to pair with Muzzin.

As a throw-in piece, the Leafs could send Garret Sparks and give him a fresh start to an Oilers team that do not have a bona fide #1 starting goalie and Timashov, a good forward prospect buried in the Leafs organizational depth.

A possible trade could look like this:

To Edmonton- Zaitsev, Brown, Sparks, Timashov

To Maple Leafs- Puljujarvi, Benning

The Leafs would receive cap relief to sign their RFA’s as Puljujarvi, and Benning are cheap. You gain size in the two and you get someone who can replace Brown on the fourth line and let him earn more ice time and could turn into something special, and Benning who will form a formidable partnership with Muzzin.

The Oilers would receive Zaitsev who is locked up for five more seasons and can be on your PP unit and eat up minutes, Brown who will be McDavid’s right hand man, Sparks who showed signs of potential in the AHL as a #1, and a forward prospect in Timashov that gives the Oilers more depth.

Next. Toronto Maple Leafs Top Ten Prospects. dark

If Ken Holland would be willing to work with the Leafs I would be sure that a deal could potentially look like this.

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