If Nylander doesn't sign with Rangers???? He's a RFA. How does this help the Leafs Losing their # 2 scorer for a 1.5 year rental, and an year ending injury to Kreider? Plus Leafs # 1 prospect and a # 1 pick. No teams would offer as much to the Rangers, certainly not the Leafs.

Connor Carrick is still pretty much a prospect and the leafs' number 1. Luckily Lupul's contract is done so don't have to worry about that LTIR but Kessel is still on the books as well as Horton. JVR and Bozak will want bigger pay checks and that will probably eat up a lot of the cap increase. So that leaves them with the 5 million from Lupul to sign Nylander, Leivo, Carrick, Holl, Komarov, and anyone else to round out the roster. In 2019 there is Matthews that would need to be signed and I doubt Toronto would not get him a big long term contract. Kreider can easily replace JVR and gives back about 2-3 million.

Also Leafs are getting the #1 not the other way around because I doubt Nylander wouldn't sign an NHL contract. I'm looking at this trade a little bit like the Callahan-St Louis trade as well as the Phaneuf trade. The values might be off a bit but you also have to look at it this way

Nylander is an RFA and doesn't have to accept a contract with the Rangers and since he doesn't have a contract it does lessen his value, not significantly though (the difference between the 1st overall and the 2nd overall). Liljegren will be a year removed from the draft. The Rangers will probably have their highest draft pick since taking Al Montoya in 2004 (6th overall). The Rangers are currently sitting in 21st place, although Buffalo is sitting at 30th, which would give Buffalo 2 picks in the top 10 and there are plenty of defensemen that would leap frog even Liljegren in this draft. San Jose is sitting at 9th and poised to make a run in to the second round of the playoffs making the 2nd round pick the Rangers will receive from this a glorified 3rd round.

So if anything getting McD and Kreider give the Leafs cap flexibility to be able to sign their priority free agents, be able to draft 2 replacement players with ease,

I don't know why so many (especially Ranger fans) think the Leafs are the logical team to for McDonagh. If anything he should be traded to true contender. The Leafs aren't that close even with McDonagh. The Leafs earliest Cup contention is 2019/20 and McDonagh will be gone as a UFA, and with your trade they would have no Nylander and Liljegren.

No Carrick is no where near the Leafs # 1 prospect. Borgman has played all year is younger and better. Dermot looks better after ten NHL games, and Liljegren is playing in the AHL as a junior aged player..
With Reilly, Gardiner, Borgman and Dermot as NHL LHD, McDonagh is a luxury. Really no reason at all for Leafs to trade for this position.

Very unlikely JVR and Komarov will be back with Leafs, Leafs have cheaper replacements with Kapanen, Leivo and Johnson even Soshnikov ready for big time minutes at wing. Not sure if Bozak is coming back either .
But getting back to Nylander, he's the Leafs second leading scorer still on a ELC contract. He has great growth potential as a player, just no way he traded for a short term McDonagh rental. Ditto for Liljegren.

The Leafs cap next year....and performance bonus have to figured will have 9m to spend on UFA, and that's with Nylander, Johnson, Kapanen, signed. Actually the following year, 2019/20 the Leafs will greater cap flexibility because there will be no performance bonuses carried out, and the bonuses will be less because the big PF plays will now be on regular contracts.

You doubt Nylander isn't going to sign an NHL contract. What's he going to do retire? Play in Europe for millions less. I don't understand your statement at all. Even Trouba of Winnipeg is going to sign an NHL contract with Winnipeg unless he is traded.

It seems like the theme here is that Leafs fans are really high on their prospects while the rest of the league is high on them now. I think most would believe they are a player or 2 away (on defense, since the offense is great), from being the perennial threat in the east. Also that it's going to be really tough to keep the core together: Nylander is looking at over 7 mil with the cap increase and using Pastrnak's recent contract as a comp. Marner and Matthews together will take about 20 million to keep long term. That's going to force Kapanen and Carrick are going to have to take bridge deals to make that work if you want to acquire any legitimate piece in free agency. And you're still crunched.

I think most Ranger fans see Toronto and think they offer need for need. McDonagh is literally Morgan Rielly at his best possible outcome, and Toronto has too many prospects for the spots in their lineup. It all makes sense.