they won't be trading any young players prospects, they are building something here, their window is just opening and it would be foolish to move young promising pieces in their pipeline to try to win now. That is why Toronto is in the situation is in now. They got impatient, they signed 18m in cap space in 2 UFA with Marleau Tavares, they are moving picks for guys like Muzzin bc they can't afford to wait for young players due to their tight cap situation .

The lessens are there for the Avs,

Meh. You don't pass up on the opportunity to sign a guy like JT. It just means that they'll need to move some players out. Having too many good young players and prospects isn't a problem.. it's kinda the ideal situation. having too few good young players, and too many anchor contracts is a problem.

The Avs do look like they have something special bubbling up. So do the leafs. Both their windows will be open for awhile...

no you don't but then there was no reason to sign Marleau the year before. Impatience on the roster, or not the internal leadership there already in the locker room that you have to go out and sign a vet to a big money contract. Now its the we cant sign our own guys story line for the Leafs bc of that reason. Slight impatience outside of their drafted core

Care to elaborate? Break down the trades and you will see that they are all fair. Doesn't mean any this would actually happen. (Vegas trade is clearly the most plausible)

The way Sakic spoke about Timmins as his year end presser, the made it sound like the expect him to be on the NHL roster next year. which is why they could entertain trading Barrie with Makar, Girard, EJ, Cole, Mads...Timmins and Melcohe fighting for spots, they could even draft Byram at 4. They have a lot of options with their D core now and for the next decade