Toronto Maple Leafs: Nikita Zaitsev asks team for trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Nikita Zaitsev will be parting ways if Kyle Dubas can fulfill the defender’s request to be traded on Thursday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Nikita Zaitsev are now working together to find the defender a fresh start with a new team, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Zaitsev is coming off a campaign which saw him finish with just three goals and 14 points in 81 games.

It was the Russian blue-liner who asked the Maple Leafs to try and facilitate a deal, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who added that there are several teams with interest in Zaitsev.

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The 27-year-old came over to Toronto from CSKA Moscow ahead of the 2016-17 campaign. Following a first season that saw him finish with 36 points while playing first-pairing minutes alongside Moran Rielly, former Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello signed him to a seven-year, $31.5-million deal.

Unfortunately for Zaitsev, he didn’t live up to the expectations that came along with at $4.5 annual cap hit.

He’s now managed just 27 points over the past few seasons while being supplanted by 38-year-old Ron Hainsey on the top pairing.

Zaitsev wasn’t blind to the fact that the fanbase didn’t like him as a player. On Saturday, he spoke to Russian outlet Sport.ru, where he talked about how the fans treat the team’s defenders.

"“Everyone said that the defense of Toronto was shit,” he said to  “Everybody wanted Mazzin. But he began to smear the next day. You just need to understand that this is Toronto. You will be defrauded anyway, because you are a defender.”"

Zaitsev managed to have a steady end to the season in the team’s final series against the Boston Bruins. Alongside Muzzin, he looked very comfortable in his own zone and on the breakout.

In order for any deal to get done, the Leafs will likely have to either eat salary or give up added assets.

The first chance that the Maple Leafs will have to officially move Zaitsev is at the draft. They’ll likely be aiming for those two days to pull the trigger on a deal, as it would give them more cap room to get a deal with Mitch Marner done.

With this recent news, the Leafs’ blue line is in an even more dire situation than originally thought heading into the offseason. Both Hainsey and Jake Gardiner will be gone, Zaitsev will be traded, and Travis Dermott will miss the start of the year while recovering from shoulder surgery.

It’ll be very interesting to see how Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and the rest of the staff add to the back end. They’ll have to get creative, as the team will be close to the cap with their pending restricted free agents.

What do you think of this news? What do you think a reasonable return/deal would be for Zaitsev? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!