So let me get this straight, you want a 5'9 160 lb forward on defense?

So let me get this straight. You didn’t get the joke?

To be fair zaitsev not playing defense might help

Grapes is a national treasure but he is old and senile.

Muzzin and Zaitsev have been rolled out against the Bergeron line all series. Last night was not a great game for him, but they had shut them down 5v5 leading up to that. That's not all because of Muzzin. I've watched Z push bodies out from in front of the net and get the puck moved out quickly.

This, to me, is more an example of people having a pre-conceived opinion about a player and finding specific examples to support that opinion without objectively reviewing the entire body of work.

Zaitsev is a solid bottom pairing guy but at 4.5 for another 5 years, in the cap era he is a negative especially for a team on the highway to cap hell.

A big problem is people relating an undesirable contract with an undesirable player. Just because the AAV doesn't match the output doesn't mean he's a 6/7 d-man, just means he's overpaid

Being overpaid is exactly what makes him undesirable, back in 1999 it wouldn't of mattered but we now live in a salary cap era.
As far as his play goes he reminds me of Jordie Benn. Solid bottom pairing guy for the Habs this year but anytime they tried to move him up to top 4 he was out of his depth and made costly mistakes. Toronto is weak on the right side so they are forced to play him top 4 but that is Dubas' fault not Zaitsev's or Babcock's.

It makes him someone you would rather trade than have on the roster, yes...but my point is...if he's on your roster, he's a quality enough of a d-man to log 16-20min a night instead of sitting in the pressbox just because you don't like how much he makes.

I'll completely agree with that. Although ideally if the Leafs were stronger on the right side they'd be playing him 14-16 minutes against the Bruin's bottom 6 but still not the pressbox.