I'd probably put Larsson and Zaitsev at the same level, making that deal not very good. The Leafs don't save any money on the cap and weaken their forward depth.

if you think zaitsev is a top 4 dman then i pity you

Lmao logan analytics dont lie an right now zaitsev comparable is russell not larsson not close

They are both middle pair dmen. Nothing more and nothing less.

We are talking about defenceman who belong on the middle pair at best. If Zaitsev is a Honda Civic, Larsson is at best the same model but with a car starter and nicer rims. Still a Honda Civic though. Johnsson has more upside then either of them. Its a lateral move for TO at best and when you add Johnsson, its now a slam dunk win for Edmonton since they aren't really downgrading their defence and upgrading your wing. Don't get me wrong though moves like this are the salvation of the Oilers. If you can make a few 2 for 1 trades where you pick up a good winger or two, you'll be able to roll 3 lines soon.

I give you props for the concept I just don't think its a good fit.

Larsson is just a whole level better then zaitsev an honestly i dont even think its close

Larsson has shown himself to be a good 2nd pair defenceman. He isn't a top end guy. Zaitsev is also a 2nd pair defencmen. This is like arguing which 3rd line winger is better between 2 clear 3rd line wingers. At the end of the day who cares, they are both 3rd line wingers.

Zaistev and Larsson are similar players, and Zaistev will rack up more points IMO. Also the turning point of this deal would be Andreass Johnson who’ll be a good fit on McDavids wing. We could also try to acquire Kapanen instead of Johnsson.

Lmfao man you're a funny guy. Anything to fit your narrative though eh

What possible thing could you show me to say that zaitsev is a second pairing guy? He's Right handed kris Russell with a higher cap hit but more upside

So Larson is waaaaay higher value than zaitsev, that deal is not close, Edmonton or even crazy enough to donthat

Larsson is a shutdown d men, likely top 10 in the league in that department. Toronto doesn't need scoring d men, they have dermott and rielly. A rielly-larsson pairing could very likely be one of the best in the league. No way he's a middle pairing d man...

i mean i dont disagree with you but you just know the leaf fans would be alllllllll over this giving one star ratings because zaitsev is actually the second coming of christ (look at the comments man)

Larsson is superior defensively which is what Toronto needs right now. Not worth Taylor Hall worthy, but still better thsn Zaitsev

Zaitsev is very good in his own zone, best in TO I'd say. Larson may be better but it's not that big of a difference. From an advanced stats perspective, Larson has never been all that great. He's best suited as a 2nd pair guy.

He's never really been a true shut down guy and his possession stats have been poor more often than not.

Zaitzev is best suited as a 3rd pairing guy. larsson is better and and its not that close

There is no point in discussing this.

Not saying Toronto should get Larsson to play over Zaitsev, but Larsson is better. Not a huge advanced stats guy either because just like plus/minis they're dependent on so many other factors.

True. Success is a hard thing to argue against and Zaitsev has been a big part of a very good team. I wouldn't move him unless it made better sense long term and while I do like Larsson I don't see him worth this package.

I would agree on this one.