TML by next year

-Leafs add picks to the trade for Pietrangelo. Poganski is just there for contract swap/minor league depth, can be replaced by any other plug from STL
-Brown get's flipped for picks. Edmonton is just a place holder
-Marner is re-signed at $9mil. room for about $400k to be added to Marner's contract
-Kapanen is bridged at 3x3. Bridged contract expires when the leafs stop retaining Kessel's contract
-Engvall can be swapped out for Marchment, Timashov or 30-something UFA à la Ennis
-Borgman as the #7 deferencemen and Holl as #6 although either can be let go/buried and replaced by cheap UFA's

Brown can play with their marlies.
NO from ED..-~

LMFAO, that Blues trade will never happen. Why the **** would they downgrade their D to a 27 year old paying 4.5m for 5 seasons and he gets a modified NTC starting next year. ****ing leafs fans trying to ship Zaitsev without the actual cost. LEas are exactly where the Blackhawks were in cap trouble. Its gonna cost to keep marner mathews tarvaes and upgrade D

For Blues to take Zaitsev and give up Pietrangelo a lot needs to get added to Johnsson. Starts with a first and either Liljegren/Sandin...then probably one other lesser piece (3rd or a lower ranked prospect...which is essentially payment for them taking Zaitsev)

IMO, Marner would take that contract on a 3yr bridge. On 8 years he'll expect more than Matthews.

Borgman can be $750k like Rosen or bugger off.

Brown should easily land a 3rd round pick + maybe a random $700k 4th line winger or healthy scratch....if some random Edmonton fan thinks he's not worth his $2.1m then he's out to lunch

St. Louis would have the right to not honour the NTC of Zaitsev. And his NTC doesn't kick in until next year.
How about you go drink a cup of tea and relax. I only traded for Pietrangelo in this FANTASY SCENARIO because it has been suggested for a while by hockey insiders that a Zaitsev+ for Pietrangelo could happen. And as I said in my comment explaining what I did and why I did it, the Leafs would naturally need to add more.
And the Leafs are only in a tough spot next year. Even if they can't find a home for Zaitsev, all that would need to be done is to move Brown and Johnsson for futures and wait for Marleau's deal to expire. AND the US tv deal expires in 2021 which will cause another considerable jump in the NHL cap