The Leafs were not willing to trade Z for nothing last year, and there was a market for a cheap deal last year. It has been widely reported that the internet seriously undervalues what the Leafs could get in a Z trade.

Someone traded for Erik Gudbranson. They also signed Jack Johnsson. Someone paid Ceci twice to three times as much as he is worth. Someone will take him, mark my words.

Short term no, long term yes.

I don’t doubt someone will. It will require retention, equal contract back, sweetener or accepting a **** trade though.

Good one

Allow me to point out that the following players currently constitute the right side of Anaheim's defense when Josh Manson isn't on the ice: 31-year-old UFA Korbinian Holzer, who played only 22 games for us last year despite being healthy and who has all of 157 games' experience over 7 (!) seasons; RFA Jake Dotchin, who played 20 games for us last year, had one point and has 103 games in the NHL; UFA Andy Welinski, who has 33 games in the NHL; and UFA Andrej Sustr, who clearly appears to be at the end of his career.

It's almost like RHD are worth something because there aren't alot of them around? That's a decent working theory you have there, OldNY

That also explains Ducks's position in the standings, doesn't it

Yes, especially reasonably good penalty killers. (I think having to spend so much time killing penalties led in no small part to a downgrade in Manson's performance this past season.) That's why I think all these posts showing Toronto sending a third with Zaitsev in order to get back a sixth are bull****. If I was Bob Murray, or Rob Blake for that matter, I would happily send the Maple Leafs a fourth for Zaitsev, alone.

In large part, yes. I also detected a rather disturbing undercurrent running through this team in December and January -- that many of them had just quit caring.

Indeed. My personal motto actual stands for this quite well: If you want to get some sh*t, you gotta give some sh*t.

That works in general life as well. And hockey, too.

Yeah, and I think that Bob Murray had at least an inkling of that before he decided to step behind the bench for the balance of the season instead of hiring a caretaker interim coach -- he wanted to see up close whose heart was really still in it.

It's too bad it looks like were losing Z but I can understand it both from the leafs cap perspective and from Z's as well. Being a scapegoat in Toronto can't be a fun role to play.

Z has value and will bring something back. People were saying the same thing about Matt Martin last something and we found a home for him and he brought a piece back.

Regardless, now the hunt for defense begins..

so 4 rookies
need to get some training and scrimaging over the offseason
well, you never know till you try...

Technically 3. Borgman doesn't qualify for the Calder as he's played half a season in the NHL. This is also assuming they don't trade or sign any additional players which I would imagine is unlikely.

It depends what teams have Muzzinian defenseman
Nikita played well with thy muzz, and if teams have muzzinlike defensemen, we might not have to retain.