Are the leafs better without Marner

They can balance out their lineup better if they trade him. Get a good RD and a top 6 forward. But I don't think the Avs give you Landeskog in a trade.

This team is likely better then last year, especially the D. But you need to add 2-3 more players and you have no cap space, so they are not really better

What else are you giving the Panthers? They won’t take Zaitsev unless you pay them to.

Zaitzev had one bad year.... a fresh start in the right environment will improve him instantly... I would up the trade to a 3rd... coaching alone will improve him.. he is worth the 3rd..

Sometimes it all comes down to coaching... and does the player fit the mold or style of the coach... I always tell the story of Cameron Mann... in the 90’s he lead the OHL in scoring, was a top ten draft pick... but never made it in the NHL.. I had the opportunity to coach with his coach at the time with the Pete’s... so i asked “how come Cameron Mann never made it in the NHL?”. The answer “ wrong coach at the wrong time” at the time he was drafted, the great Pat Burns was coaching Boston ... Pat Burns was a veterans coach... Mann never fit his style of coaching and eventually he was buried in the minors...
my point.. Mike Babcock has as great a coach as he is, has received lots of criticism this past season for misusing his roster... I believe Zaitzev in the right environment improves and reaches a potential seen in him when his contract was offered to him.. just my two cents