Quoting: chefed
I do not see Muzzin being traded unless an asset is coming back .Look at what is left 2 almost rookies Holl a 39 year old .Add to the fact the Leafs have already paid half of his salary. .I do see him moved to clear cap for a larger deal then I could see giving up an asset. McD 33 yrs old 6.75 x4 was traded by Tampa for an asset. That was a cap dump .Reese for 1 m is wishful thinking 1.5 more likely Sandin will want Boqvist numbers 2.6 m if he is going to sign for 3 years .We have several players on the bubble who can play in Kerfoot's spot Robertson Holmberg come to mind Defense/Goal is still the teams weak spot .
Difference is that Tampa got a deal with a team that wanted McDonagh. Nashville clearly think they were that defenseman piece away from seriously contending. Extending Forsberg for 8 years clearly proves that.
In this scenario, the Leafs haven't yet found another contender that is willing to move assets for Muzzin. The Leafs have to move someone as they only can field a 20 man roster with Sandin unsigned. Leafs have no leverage now either which takes away their bargaining power. Although Muzzin isn't a negative value asset, they will have to do something to make this deal worthwhile for the Ducks. They could easily add his cap hit from players in FA without giving up assets. This is why the trade is setup like it is.
Obviously other combinations of player trades could take place. Kerfoot + Holl is a very viable package deal the Leafs could make to a team or just trade them separately.
As for ZAR, have seen a bunch of FA's take well below what I expected them to take. $1M or $1.5M, doesn't really matter. If you noticed, I left some cap maneuverability.
I took the Boqvist contract into consideration here. He has had a more productive NHL career so far in comparison to Sandin. That is why I gave Sandin $2.3M rather than $2.6M like Boqvist.
Holmberg could use some seasoning in the AHL while Robertson would have to earn a spot in camp. Very unfortunate situation for him, but the Leafs cant afford to gamble on him being a productive member in the top 6 and trade a versatile Swiss army knife like Kerfoot away without knowing for certain that Robertson is ready.