I don’t think Toronto would do that but oilers accept

As soon as you say "it helps Ottawa hit the floor", you certainly undervalue Zaitsev on contribution. And Ottawa doesn't need help to hit the cap floor. Zaitsev with the heavy minutes he plays certainly isn't a cap dump.
That's way too big a price to pay the Oilers two years of Larsson, and a AHLer and an iffy NHL Dman. Three good NHLers and a pick. C'mon.

Zaitsev is not good at all. He's a 6th d-man at best, making 4.5 mil for 5 more years. Maybe "hitting the floor" was overstating it, but they still are going to have cap space to utilize to their advantage.

Puljujarvi was a 4th overall pick who hasn't produced with the team who drafted him. Where have we seen that before? Dylan Strome went to Chicago and found his stride, producing at almost a point per game rate. Pulju needs a change of scenery with a new team who believes in him and uses him well. Playing him with Nylander would certainly help him out, and only at 20 years old he can definitely turn this around.

I like both Larsson and Benning, I think they could both flourish with the Leafs. Larsson can be the stay at home guy he's good at being and let Rielly fly and help out offensively (like Karlsson - Methot in Ottawa a few years ago)

Kadri and Kapanen equal Larsson and Puljujarvi. Third rounder and Brown for Benning? Toronto says no. I think Kapanen is a big piece of the leafs future though so I would be surprised to see him moved anywhere

Larsson and Benning are the two right-handed NHL defensemen that Edmonton has, it’s unlikely they would trade away both without getting another right handed guy who is at least comparable to Larsson. No way they can enter next season with Russell as the only veteran who plays on the right side. He is left-handed and usually in over his head when playing in the second pair. Only way Larsson is moved is if the Oilers get an unbelievably good return.

I could see Brown for Benning, except Edmonton needs to shed salary, and Brown is paid $200,000 more than Benning. I don’t think Edmonton takes Kadri unless they have plans to move Nugent-Hopkins. All signs point to the Oilers looking for one or two top-six wings, not another centre.

Edmonton might do Kapanen for Puljujarvi, but would Toronto really want to make that trade?

The thing is though, the versatility of Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins to play wing and center is one of the Oilers strengths. Having guys that can slide all throughout the top 9 is a good thing. Look at what San Jose has been doing with their top 9 for the last while. Thornton, Pavelski, Couture, Hertl, Meier, Labanc are all natural centers. We need to improve top 6 wings, no doubt about it, but there is nothing that says we cant do that by sliding Nuge over.

True, but I think there is more to be gained by building the top two lines around McDavid (1C) and Draisaitl (2C). That requires the acquisition of at least 2 top-six forwards, allowing Nugent Hopkins to play the 3C, or the GM to offer him in exchange for a true #1 d-man.

I like the idea a lot actually. I think Kapanen is going to be a victim of the cap in Toronto and he fits really really well into what the Oilers need (high speed, two way top 6 winger in that age range). It hurts to lose Larsson but getting back two top 6 forwards in Kadri and Kapanen is huge. I dont think Benning would go in to the trade though, the Oil just arent deep enough on the blueline to give up to right shot D and Brown could be an interesting add but hes easily the least appealing part of this deal.

Why trade him or have him on 3C when he can play on either Connor or Leon's wing better anyone that we are going to acquire? Thats fools logic. You really cant ever have to many centers man.

Take off the homer glasses. Puljujarvi was in the running with Matthews and Laine up until the final days of the selection process that year, he hasnt produced but it is asinine to call him an AHLer. You also havent watched any of Matt Benning clearly, I dont mean to say he is ever going to win a Norris, but the guy has managed to be a positive player on a bad oiler blue line playing with the likes of Eric Gryba, Kevin Gravel and Jason Garrisson.

Zaitsev may not be a cap dump, but moving him will likely help Toronto. As far as Benning is concerned, his metrics are positive when he is deployed properly, on the bottom pair. He is a good NHL defenseman, as long as he isn’t expected to play higher in the line-up on a consistent basis. That might change with more experience, or it might not. In any case, he is a right-shot and he compliments more offensively gifted defensemen. That, alone, gives him value. Apparently Toronto wanted him, and they may still.

I see Brown for Benning as a 1-for-1. I thought Kapanen, Kadri and a 3rd was good value for Larsson and Pulju (I'm a Leafs fan who loves both forwards btw), but a couple of Oiler fans have responded saying Toronto would say no, so maybe Larsson isn't as good as I thought he was.

The thinking behind moving Kapanen and Kadri is that Nylander can play centre and I think he looked really good at that spot, so trading Kadri for defence made perfect sense. I tried to be realistic, moving Zaitsev shouldn't be hard, but I'm not sure how easy it'll be to take Marleau off the cap as he has a NMC. I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I would rather have Johnsson than Kapanen (Kapanen really struggled to score down the stretch and has bad habits of shooting right into the goalie's chest, ending play, instead of making a pass to an open teammate to try for a scoring chance. Johnsson also looked really good with Matthews and on the top powerplay while filling in for Kadri) so Kapanen was the sacrifice that had to be made. If the Leafs are able to move Marleau I think they keep one of them, or move them both for a top defenceman.

I'm also maybe too high on Puljujarvi, I think he needs a change of scenery but he may be cheaper than many of us on the east coast thought he was.

exactly. I REALLY like Benning and always have, so I was super excited to hear the Leafs were in on him. He would be the perfect bottom pair partner for a Rosen or Dermott. What are your thoughts on Larsson? I thought he was a good shutdown right handed guy who could handle top minutes, certainly not worth Taylor Hall (sorry) but carried a good cap hit for his value, maybe I'm wrong on that

Fair enough, as an Oilers fan I'm pretty hard on Benning and put to much stock in Browns chemistry with McDavid in junior. Overall I think it is interesting for sure, not sure I want Kadri due to hearing he is not a good influence in the locker room - leads Oiler fans to think back to the Hall rumors. But intriguing for sure.

Larsson has had some issues with consistency. When he simplifies things, and plays his game, he can be a beast. He has done well while playing with Klefbom, but neither of those two are consistently good enough to be considered a true top 2; although they have occasional flashes of that kind of performance. Larsson struggles during Klefbom’s injuries, and while playing with Nurse. Neither Larsson, nor Nurse, are very effective at quickly retrieving the puck and transitioning it to the forwards. I think Larsson is underrated, and the Hall trade certainly didn’t help his image. Clearly one-for-one did not favour the Oilers. That being said, Larsson was an unsung hero who contributed mightily to Edmonton’s last play-off run. The Oilers can’t afford to trade him unless they have an equal, or better option available. They won’t get that by trading him for another defenseman, but might be able to get an upgrade if they can move Nugent-Hopkins.

I agree with you regarding Kadri. I’d rather Edmonton focus on acquiring one, or two, decent forwards to play on the top two lines. Those new forwards don’t need to be superstars, they will be replacing Rattie, Rieder, Lucic, Khaira, and Puljujarvi, who combined for just 17 goals last season. Examples are Joonas Donskoi and Richard Panik, both strong skating, offensively talented, UFA’s who should not require the GM to break the bank, and each scored 14 goals last season. That 11 goal difference covers a regression in Kassian’s offensive output, from a career high of 15 to something more representative of his career average. Of course, if Kassian continues to play with McDavid, he may not experience a regression.

Every GM in the league knows the Leafs have to dump Zaitsev so more than a 3rd is required to move him. You wait them out until the draft and if Dubas does nothing you can offer sheet the younger Leafs on July 1.

NEVER doubt leaves ability 2 F#CK up..-~