Roster Architect
Joined: Mar. 2021
Posts: 2,643
Likes: 909
If I'm Toronto, I'm not touching this deal. For all the hate Tavares gets in this site, he still does exactly what they signed him to do: score points, play average defence, and be a leader on and off the ice. Everyone's saying that his contract will be rough at the back end of it and that he's declining but is he? He's always been around a 70-80 point guy for the most part and right now at 0.91 he's right in track for 75 points. His ability to be dominate on the cycle is still there and not showing any signs of slowing down. He still has the hands and can deke anyone in the league. His defence is still at least average and not hurting the team, and he's one of the top face off guys in the league. The only knock on him to say he's declining is his speed, but he's never been a fast guy even going back to his junior days. With the cap eventually to go up, that contract isn't going to look as bad as people think.
As for the actual trade, I wouldn't be sending an elite centre away for a bunch of maybe's when Toronto is committed to winning now. Tavares is the better centre of him and Zibanejad, and Zibanejad has 1 year left on his deal so he's a MAYBE to re-sign. I'd imagine wherever he signs in free agency that he wants to be the 1C and he wouldn't get that in Toronto so I doubt he'd wanna sign an extension. Kakko has been nothing special and a bit of a disappointment since being drafted so high, and it's a MAYBE that he turns his career around. Robertson is a decent prospect, but Toronto is stacked on the left side and prospects are all MAYBES. Same goes for draft picks, especially in an unsure draft like the 2021 class. Toronto's centre depth isn't strong enough to withstand losing Tavares and then losing Zibanejad in a year.
I don't think there's a deal to be made between these 2 clubs like this. Toronto wouldn't be moving Tavares and Tavares wouldn't waive his NMC.