Well i’ve Tried to tear this trade apart every which way to make it better but I really can’t. I feel it is an overpay for an older player but he is the type of Dman the leafs are looking for. I feel that the leafs aren’t looking to move up in the draft as much as they are trying to make the team better. If we were absolutely unable to sign nylander this would not be the worst trade.

Dont like it, Johnson is the backbone of the dcore in colorado and I really dont want to pay a 20 goal scorer 7.5 mill when MacKinnon is getting 6.3

I see where you are going with this and I like it.

Having the kids (Timmins, Makar, Meloche) coming up this and the following year, I would actually prefer to trade Barrie. I know he's not the player TOR are targeting to play 25 min. of solid defensive/offensive hockey, but if TOR are trading away any other key asset to get a hold of Barrie and resign him to a team-friendly contract, they would be scary from one end to the other.

I'm with the other guys on that I'd trade Barrie ahead of EJ, as Barrie is the more replaceable with Makar & Timmins. There's also getting EJ to waive and he's the D corps leader. I simply don't think Nylander is 'all that' though and there are better targets for the money he's going to want.

if avs were to pay Nylander 7.5m, imagine would rantanen will want next year. nylander and his agent must be showing dubas all these inflated signings that are on capfriendly trying to make their case.
overpaying a player doesn't help any team long term, I just don't think nylander should be poster child of a desired overpaid player.
believe the leafs would say no to the deal anyway. besides to they want to start a precedent of having their rfa players not signing so they can be traded and overpaid by another team.

Sadly I agree, some of the signings have really inflated player costs. His agent only needs to look at Stone putting up the same numbers getting 7.3mil (through arbitration) and Patches new contract - a 29 yr old guy that averages pts mid 60s - 7mil per year. when statistically his numbers should decline over the course of the contract, While Nylander's numbers should increase as he gets closer to his peak. Like it or not the market today is dictating Rants is going to get close to 8mil. They signed MacK at 6.3 when that was were the market was. I remember thinking it was a lot for him back then, what a deal now. When everyone is expecting the bread maker (82pts last year) to pull in 9.5mil, 8mil+ for an RFA putting up 84pts (barring a significant decline in production) is not unreal.

I would bet that TOR is on EJ's 19 team trade list. I am honestly on the fence on who to keep between Barrie and EJ. Do you keep the "Backbone" of the D in an injury prone EJ. Can Z take that role over? Isn't that the plan? Or keep one of the most productive D man in the league that is lacking at times in the actual "D" part of his role in Barrie. Lose that production, but isn't Makar to take that role over? Its like Varly - he is awesome on the ice but keeping him there is problematic. Hence Grubby. I think it is time to move on from EJ now while he still has value. If Seattle wasn't coming in the end of next year I wouldn't lose either of them and let the kids replace em when they are actually ready to do so.

Agreed on much of this. It's a tough call but I think there are better options than Nylander, and the kind of contract he's going to want for his production is a big turn off. I think moving Barrie could be a good thing but then there is his chemistry on and off the ice with MacKinnon to consider as well. The other option could be to extend Barrie but then you have the problems with the expansion draft, unless you make one of those 'protection deals' that were made with Vegas by some teams. The other option is to trade Makar's rights as there is no guarantee he will a) sign for the Avs (a la Will Butcher) or b) that he will be as good as Barrie offensively. I agree big time that he (Barrie) has some serious defensive deficiencies that need work on. My D coach would be drilling him hard, though it's probably too late by now to correct them. Tough call on the Avs D however you look at it but I just don't think Nylander is the answer.

From Toronto's PoV EJ is more the answer than Barrie. I just wish we'd get to see a full season out of the guy in an Avs jersey!!!

Amen! You are preaching to the choir! The key with signing Makar is don't let Roy talk to him and tell him he will never make the team...

I should point out that with the speculation on picks and the trade itself the value probably isn't far off so it would be a pretty fair trade, I just don't like the idea lol.