The Maple Leafs have gotten lucky.



There’s not really any other way to put it, given the way things have unfolded of late.



Consider that Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and his staff entered this offseason with four truly difficult challenges in front of them, in no particular order:



Try to unload Patrick Marleau’s contract



Try to unload Nikita Zaitsev’s contract



Re-sign Mitch Marner



Improve the defence, especially the right side



While all is quiet around the final two challenges on the list, in the past few weeks it’s become clear that the first two bullets on the list above are far more surmountable obstacles than previously believed.



What’s changed is both Marleau and Zaitsev are amenable to leaving. That’s useful for the Leafs with Zaitsev as he has a 10-team no-trade clause kicking in on July 1. Now that he wants out, there will be less pressure to try and force a trade...