Leafs have competition in Nikita Zadorov trade talks; two other teams revealed as interested parties

The news wasn't all that surprising, given recent comments made by Zadorov. It was clear that he was unhappy with how last season had gone and was even less happy with how this season has started for the Flames. However, what was surprising was when TSN's Chris Johnston revealed that Zadorov would welcome a trade to Toronto. The situation took another step toward plausible when Milstein himself tweeted out to fans that they should buy their Leafs tickets ASAP.

For those who are already penciling in Zadorov on the Leafs' roster, not so fast. It's not going to be that simple. Zadorov doesn't have any trade protection built into his contract. As a result, the Flames can deal him wherever they please, and as Sportsnet's Luke Fox pointed out this weekend, the Leafs have plenty of competition.

Per Fox, the Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils are also interested in acquiring Zadorov. Fox also mentioned that for the Leafs or Canucks to swing a deal for Zadorov, they'd have to first clear some cap space, as both teams are pressed tight up against the cap.

The Devils are also close to the cap, but wouldn't have to clear nearly as much salary off the books, as they currently have over $1.2M in available cap space with a full 23-man roster. They also have a lot of enticing young pieces they can use as sweeteners and a lot of draft picks over the next 3 years.

We don't yet know what the asking price is on Zadorov, but as a pending UFA who has demanded a trade, it's likely not going to be as high as everyone is anticipating.