as always, the eternal questions remains: why would Jake Muzzin waive his NTC to go to a rebuilding team in Anaheim (or, for that matter, pretty much anywhere?) when he currently plays for a team coming off a 54-win season that plays about 90 minutes from where he grew up?

Aside from the NTC problem, rebuilding teams generally trade expensive veterans for futures, not the other way around. But here's a deal that Anaheim could accept: Muzzin and your 2023 first for the Boston 2023 second we own. You'd be moving a little further down than you did in the Mrazek deal, but you'd be shedding $5.625 million in cap for two years instead of $3.8 million (i.e., almost 50% more).

Anaheim wanting Muzzin, and out of playoffs Seattle giving up picks for a rental Kerfoot doesn't make sense at all.
Heck for 5.25m you signed Milano and Hague. Leafs are better with Kerfoot and Sandin for that cap hit, and Steeves and the third rounder.

C'mon man, you're making too much sense. So many Leaf fans are like the commercial JG Wentwork. " I need cap (cash) now"
We saw what one year of 7m Pacioritty cost the Canes...nothing

A good example of dumping cap was Pacertetty gong to Vegas to Canes....no charge

Pretty sure Seattle wants to make the playoffs. That being said their middle six is already full of players, where would Kerfoot play? I'm sure the only thing they are trying to add is a dman like Klingberg.

Only reason I can see management wanting to move him is if they pick Sandin over him and they are getting a similar player to Muzzin defensively on the right side.

Muzzin might be open to moving if he's the 7th Dman but even then it would be hard to move him since the ideal trading partner would be a contender with the need for a LD and have an extra RD.

I honestly can't think of any teams who fit that definition - feels like most of the contenders who have cap room *also* have a surplus of LD and need RD (thinking Boston, Nashville, and...I guess we can call them this, Ottawa!?!?)

Think Pittsburgh has a surplus of RD, but they also have LD too lol and no cap. There's no shortage of LD though who are available. I think once Klingberg signs we will have a dmen carousel. Was just reading on twitter that he followed a bunch of Flames, so if he's going there, then they would be able to give up a dman, but yeah they have a surplus of LD too lol.

Why would Muzzin waive his NTC this offseason, theoretically this offsean Muzzin would have full control of any trade that could be proposed, the benefits Muzzin has this offseason is he can give a list of teams he'd be willing to play for and Dubas based on his reputation would in theory do what he could to accommodate Muzzin, but if Muzzin decides no notoving you can't trade me then next offseason that NTC becomes a modified NTC in which Muzzin can only submit a 10 team no trade list and Dubas would be free toove the defenseman to any other of the 21 teams not on his list. So it would be in Muzzins best interest if he wants control of where he plays this season to at least work with the Leafs to ensure he lands in a place he'd be interested in rather than next offseason where he would only have trade control over 10 teams

I'm not in the guy's head, so obviously this is pure speculation but I would take the risk that I get moved somewhere I don't want next summer if it meant I had another crack at trying to get the Cup with my hometown team. Like I said further upthread, the problem that Dubas & Muzzin would run into trying to find a good landing spot is that almost all of the contending teams either a)are set at LD and wouldn't want to spend cap space on *another* one or b) could maybe use Muzzin to upgrade their current depth chart but don't have the cap space. Even if a team wanted to do a "hockey trade" and send back a similar AAV contract at a position Toronto needs, they'd strike out - none of the teams from that second group really have anything that would help upgrade Toronto's situation to send back.

So yeah, you bring up a good point, but I still think that Muzzin rolls the dice and vetoes anything that comes across his desk this summer. One more crack at trying to do what I'd assume is a lifelong goal would be worth the loss of full control over his destination next summer.