from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

With Trouba off the board, and Phil Kessel in limbo in Pittsburgh, Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev is the next man up.

Zaitsev, 27, requested a trade from Toronto and GM Kyle Dubas acknowledged earlier this month the team is working toward satisfying it.

Zaitsev might not be the sexy name at No. 1. But even with five years remaining on his deal at $4.5 million – and a limited no-trade clause set to kick in on July 1 – there has not been a shortage of teams calling about the Russian-born defenceman who burst onto the scene in 2016-17 with a 36-point campaign. Cost certainty is a valuable commodity in the salary cap world.

The Vancouver Canucks are among the teams who have expressed interest in Zaitsev.

Jim Benning and the Canucks are believed to be involved in anything and everything to try and improve their defence, particularly with Alex Edler expected to move on in free agency. From Zaitsev to Trouba to potentially Tyler Myers in free agency, they are hoping to make a splash – even if it costs them their first-round pick (10th overall) to do it in front of their fans on Friday night as draft hosts.

The same could be said of the Jets. Trading Trouba was just the first step in a series of moves – one of which may be re-signing Myers.

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