NHL Trade Rumors: Who will the Toronto Maple Leafs trade away? Trade for?

Possible, but at what cost?

Nikita Zaitsev: Far and away one of the team’s most frustrating players to watch, the 27-year-old’s contract was perhaps the biggest blunder of the Lou Lamoriello era in Toronto. A swift skater who is more than capable of quarterbacking a power play, Zaitsev’s absence from minutes on the man advantage has rendered him subject to scrutiny, in that his game is usually pedestrian in nature. Nonetheless, he could be a fit on the right team — one in need of an offense-minded defender to slot into a fourth, fifth, or sixth role — but few and far between shall be willing to entertain a deal of this variety. Moving Zaitsev should be a priority for Dubas, but finding the right trading partner will come at a cost.

Kasperi Kapanen: The future of Kapanen and the aforementioned Johnsson are often discussed hand-in-hand, but the news that No. 24 is rumored to be entering into contract talks as soon as next week tells me that the Leafs are in a prime position to — at the very least — secure the 22-year-old on a bridge deal. I wouldn’t term Kapanen ‘safe’ just yet, but time is running out for other parties who have expressed interest in the winger.

Zach Hyman: The thought of Babcock parting ways from Hyman — one of the veteran coach’s most trusted pieces — is laughable, but decisions about the grinder’s future rest on the shoulders of Dubas, whose thoughts on the matter are largely hushed. I think it’s unlikely that we’ll see the winger moved, though it’s fair to regard his future in a similar light to that of Brown’s. If the right offer is presented, No. 11 could be included as part of a package.