Always easy to go with what you know
New Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello is still looking to get his feet wet in Toronto and apparently it might be acquiring a familiar face.
As mentioned by Elliotte Friedman in his latest 30 Thoughts piece, there are many NHL executives that think that Lamoriello would "love to get his hands on Travis Zajac". When you are with a new team after being with a team for as long as Lamoriello was, sometimes going back to what you know is the best way to start. Lou drafted Zajac and knows what the Leafs could expect from him.
The main issue is the fact that Zajac is under contract till 2020-21 with a cap hit of 5.75M per season. Ouch. He is already 30 years old and only had 24 points last year. However, we all know Lou and if he wants something, he is going to go out and get it. He also wants to prove that the Leafs made the right choice in hiring him and making a big splash might get the fans on his side. Obviously it will depend on what the Leafs send back to New Jersey. As much as Lou might want Zajac, we dont want another David Clarkson, so there would have to be salary heading back the other way.
This is all just speculation and he said he said for the moment but it could be interesting to follow this and see if it leads anywhere.
Picture credit: The Hockey News
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