5 bold offseason predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Leafs Trade Brown and Zaitsev
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to trim some cap space this summer. Doing it by not keeping Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen around isn’t ideal. Ideally, the Toronto Maple Leafs should trim fat in other areas. Forward Connor Brown and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev are the two best options.
Brown
Brown’s at worst a decent bottom six forward. He could fit into the top nine on most teams. However, on the Maple Leafs, he was their 10th-most used forward at five-on-five. Brown doesn’t have a no-trade clause and his cap hit is a fairly reasonable one at $2.1 million. He can also kill penalties.
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Zaitsev
If the Maple Leafs can get rid of Zaitsev, it would let them address their defensive woes. Lou Lamoriello signed him to a very confusing seven-year deal worth $4.5 million per season. His no-trade clause starts on July 1, so expect the Leafs to try to move him before then.
Zaitsev has been trending the wrong way over the past two seasons. Let’s compare his Wins Above Replacement (WAR), using Evolving Hockey’s Goals Above Replacement model.
- 2016-17 (rookie season): -0.5 WAR
- 2017-18: 0.6 WAR
- 2018-19: -0.5 WAR
Still, he plays top-four minutes on a Stanley Cup contender. Teams value that. The Leafs won’t get much for him, but trading him would get them out of a bad deal.