Zaitsev finally explains his reasons for requesting trade from Leafs

It’s been exactly one week since the Toronto Maple Leafs traded defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and forward Connor Brown in exchange for Cody Ceci and Ben Harper and finally Leafs fans have an explanation as to why Zaitsev wanted out of Toronto so badly. 

The 27 year old Russian has regressed incredibly since his rookie season in 2016-17 when he put up 36 points in 82 games, putting up just 13 and 14 points in the past two seasons. He was signed to a ridiculous seven year contract worth $4.5 million annually in 2017 and has been somewhat of an anchor for the Leafs ever since. In truth, the Leafs would have been wise to move Zaitsev regardless of his requests or not.

Still, Zaitsev did request a trade and today he finally spoke to reporters on his reasons why. He also spoke about his reasons for choosing Ottawa as his next destination. 

Check it out:

To be fair, Zaitsev’s English isn’t the best so it’s possible that some of this exchange is lost in translation, but when asked why he left Toronto Zaitsev just shrugged and offered up a meek, “I just want to change a little bit, something.” 

Well… you got change, alright. Here’s hoping Zaitsev can resurrect his play in Ottawa and get back to being the player he was two years ago.