Hmm interesting

Firstly Nashville would decline that trade. They'd be much better off giving Ellis the money it would take to resign Gardiner and Kapanen who both need new deals next season. And the 1st rounder could possibly be 31st overall. Yes the Leafs are contenders for the cup. So where is the motivation for Nashville? They have almost as much wing depth as TO already.

Now that we have blown up that trade, we'll talk as if Nashville made the trade.

So now the Leafs have Ellis,

At 7 million they'll have to trade more forward depth away like brown or Hyman because they won't be able to be under the cap with Nylander, Marner and Matthews extensions. So maybe the best option then would be to trade Nylander and you'll not get equal value because other teams know you're up against the cap and will bend you over to take advantage. This is why the Karlsson trade isn't happening, he wants to go to Tampa as his first option but they can't clear cap space because the teams that are offering to take Calahan are asking for a kings ransom to do it.

You need to look beyond one move. This is like chess, moving pieces in the short term, medium term and long term. Loose site of the big picture and you make mistakes like Edmonton and Montreal have done over the past few seasons.

OMFG you just explained why trading Nylander makes sense except for the "you won't get value for him" nonsense. The leafs are a way better team with what I did above.

Now onto the "blown up trade"...Nashville can sign both Kapanen and Gardiner if they want. Gardiner would likely take a discount to get the fk out of TO. Gardiner paired with Ekholm is perfectly fine for them. Or they don't resign Gardiner and call up a guy like Fabbro or Allard. If they don't make space for Fabbro he might just wait until he can become a UFA. THAT is why they make this trade.

No they are not a better team.

They add Ellis and Reinhart at the cost of Kapanen, Nylander, Gardiner and a 1st rounder.

Nylander is the most valuable player in these trades. Some will argue that Ellis is better but that's just not the case. Nylander has the potential to be a dominant forward in the NHL and he's 22. He has 8 years of being an elite player and can be locked up for the entire time at around 7 million. The points he'll score are worth more than what Ellis will offer over the same time frame. Especially when you consider that he will begin declining within the next 3-5 years.

Nylander is just better than Reinhart, doesn't matter what you say, he couldn't do anything until he played with Eichel so Eichel made him good. Nylander scored on his own the moment he entered the league. He's just a much better player.

Kapanen is an elite penalty killer and has a lot of untapped potential and adds depth since he can play anywhere in the lineup. Nylander get's hurt, Kapanen can play on the top line. If Kadri gets hurt Nylander can move down and play centre. These are all moving parts that you don't see because you're looking at 1 thing. "The Leafs are Crap without a stud defenceman".

Gardiner is a free agent next year and he'll walk unless he is traded for a right handed defenceman on an expiring contract. Apparently TO and Jets have discussed Myers for Gardiner. (That would be infinitely better for TO than getting Ellis).

The team you posted scores a lot less, is slower and allows less goals. So is it an improvement? I don't think so, less scoring and less depth and less flexibility.

Chess my friend this is chess, not checkers.

The Leafs ARE crap without a stud defencemen! You are not beating teams like TB, WSH, PIT in the playoffs unless you can play D.

The drop from Nylander to Reinhart is minimal at best. Connor Brown is just fine as a 3rd liner. If someone gets hurt you can move Johnsson up. Ellis>>> Gardiner. Myers is a band-aid and it is only a matter of time before he is out long term again. Apparently you don't trust your farm system if you don't think you have anyone that can step in if someone gets hurt.

now I am done with you because you clearly think Nylander is Kucherov. Have a great day bud! Oh and one last thing...players are still very capable once they hit 30!

You don't know anything about hockey. Pittsburgh won the cup with Justin Schultz as their stud defender. The Leafs Defence is a lot better than what Pittsburgh had that year. Letang was hurt and didn't play a game. You don't need a stud defender if you have enough depth to roll 4 lines of power. TO is faster than they were last year. Deeper than they were last year, more experienced than they were last year. Reilly will be this stud defender you say they need. He's as good as Ellis, maybe not as good defensively (although it would be interesting to see how he'd play with a better partner than Hainsey) but he's better offensively.

To get a stud defender, the cost is more than what they'll contribute. Watch whoever gets Karlsson will be hurt by the trade. They'll sap much of their depth and if an injury hits, they'll be devastated.

If losing 1 roster player devastates your roster than you have some major issues. And just because Morgan Reilly becomes elite in NHL 18, doesn't mean he will in real life. He is good offensively and not good defensively.

Leaf fans get so heated.

I just like debating hockey. Its a real problem in my life lol