Trouble with any Marleau trade....he would only be traded to a contender if he continues to play and San Jose hasn't got 6.25m in cap space to spare. Looking at next season, I figure the Leafs need to clear 6m of cap space if Marleau doesn't retire. A Nylander trade for futures,, non NHL contracts would do it.

My thing with Nylander and Kapanen is that I keep hearing that other teams want them and that's fine, but you have to take Zaitsev to make a deal like this.

Yeah then you get screwed holding onto Zaitsev cuz no one wants him and that's a deal breaker. No one wants him and they will literally just wait.

Why does everybody treat Zaitsev like he's Jeff Finger? Z has NHL talent, yes he is overpaid by 2 million, but that doesn't force Toronto to pay another team a high price just to get rid of him. Matthews is also overpaid by 2 million so does that the Leafs have to pay to get rid of his contract? God damn you Oilers for so badly screwing up the 2nd NHL contract structure. It use to be always 6 million for everybody after their ELC, now the flood gates are open and the silliness begins.

LMAO Zaitsev is a 4M paid 3rd Liner. Glorified 3rd Liner, Matthews isn't overpaid he is on a 925K contract so saying he is 2M overpaid means he is worth Negative 1.075M.

Z walked the line tonight and threaded a beauty through traffic for a nice goal.

Z = offensive juggernaut (hot take)... realistically, he's a decent 2nd pairing d who is overpaid a bit, but the issue is his term.. he still has real value, and if the leafs weren't up against the cap none of this conversation would be happening.. they'd be happy to keep him, and they still well might

Maybe 1M.. if even. Its the term

I don't think these trades are realistic at all.

If Toronto wanted to trade Nylander for Pesce, they coulda done it when Nylander still had no contract and Carolina was all over asking for him. He's not getting traded. For Pesce, I could see the Leafs giving up Kapanen and a pick or two, Carolina is pretty high on him too and it's closer to fair value than Nylander.

Zaitsev isn't a pure cap dump. He wouldn't be moved for such a low pick with the Leafs having to throw in that much higher of a pick. His contract isn't great by any means, but it isn't terrible either. Put him in a better role and his value and play will increase. He's an offensive guy that needs to lead a PP unit himself like he did in his first season. He just can't get that opportunity in Toronto because they use Reilly and Gardiner on the PP then 4 forwards. Only recently they put Muzzin on it for his shot. That's what made trading him so hard is because he hasn't been used in the proper role since his rookie year. Teams like Vegas and New Jersey could actually use that kind of defensemen which will create

I can see Marleau getting moved, but again he isn't a pure cap dump. San Jose makes sense, they can still contend and would have the cap space come summer depending on the Karlsson and Pavelski contract extensions. He can still play well though. I could see more of a deal along the lines of Marleau and a 3rd for Melker Karlsson (who makes $2M next season then UFA) and a 5th or 6th round pick. That's pretty close to fair value cause Karlsson hasn't been great but is still a useful bottom 6 guy. Toronto taking the $2M of Karlsson helps San Jose take on Marleau's cap hit. Marleau can still score 20 goals and plays reliable defence. He has value, is not just a cap dump.

Your logic is absolutely in the right place, your value however is extremely off. Just my thoughts at least.

I agree on Nylander not being traded, but Carolina is gonna ask a lot Kapanen would need more than Rosen and a 2nd becuase Pesce is such an underrated guy. No one is gonna want Z Cap is a powerful thing. San Jose is the only team Marleau would waive, but they don't have the cap for it so you have to pay handsomely to actually get the to take it, but other than that good comment.

Glad to see we finally agree on something and not bickering eh bud?

But Carolina has been high on Kapanen for awhile now. They've overblown him since his dad played there and that might be what it takes to get Pesce. He's good, just streaky and Toronto has the depth at RW to deal from that position. They've just been reluctant to trade Kapanen this year. Maybe in the off season Toronto considers it if Carolina is willing to move Pesce for it. Pesce is my ideal fit in Toronto, low cost and a great contract he's on. Like I said, it's probably Kapanen + a pick, maybe a 2nd or so but the value is there for both sides.

Zaitsev is really only overpaid by maybe $1M, it's the term that hurts and his age. I could see Toronto retaining a bit on him, maybe $500K at most, but if he's moved to a team that needs that type of offensive minded dman he can still be moved easily. I really think Vegas is the best fit, but New Jersey wouldn't be far behind. Wouldn't expect much back, B level prospect and a later round pick cause it is mainly made to free up cap, but he can still get a decent return.

I agree San Jose is the team Marleau would waive for. One last shot at the cup with the team he played for his whole career. & with the cap going up next year and if Toronto took Melker Karlsson back, it's really only $4M to fit. And with the cap going up by probably $3.5M it's not that much. Just depends on Pavelski and Erik Karlsson. Can't see Pavelski getting a raise from his $6M so Marleau is realistic back to San Jose. Just not as a strict cap dump