Report: Leafs’ Zaitsev has requested a trade

According to a report from NHL insiders Bob McKenzie of TSN and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Toronto Maple Leafs are actively shopping defensemen Nikita Zaitsev in order to give the Russian blueliner a “fresh start” in the NHL.

Check it out:

That… that could be tricky. 

The 27 year old Zaitsev put up just three goals and 14 points this past season and makes $4.5 million against the salary cap for the next five seasons. That’s a steep price for a player who can’t even put up 20 points and is arguably not even a top four defenseman.

It wasn’t always this way with Zaitsev, however. In his first season with the Leafs after coming over from Russia, Zaitsev put up four goals and 36 points in 82 games. Since then though, Zaitsev has managed just 13 points and then 14 points the past two seasons. Quite a drop off.

It’s possible that there’s a team out there with interest and that Zaitsev could be moved this offseason, but the Leafs would likely have to pay a premium just to offload his contract. Failing that, they could flip him for another overpaid player in need of a change of scenery.

Sit tight, Leafs fans. There’s still lots more to come with regards to Zaitsev.