Myers+ for him.. also you move Zaitsev, Brown and so on before a tought about Nylander trade pops in someones mind...

Okay but how does this trade help the Leafs win now, and how is it addressing their blueline?

Dubas isn't a jackass and knows that if he's moving Nylander, both of those questions need to be satisfied. Otherwise, there's a slough of players that can be moved before Nylander to free up cap space. Look at what happened to the Oilers when they moved Hall or when the Panthers dumped Marchessault: every team in the NHL should have made a note that you don't throw away a scoring forward unless you have another one coming back, or if the value is there.

His splits since signing haven't been great, and on the surface it seems hard to justify 33p/82GP at his cap hit, but it's important to remember that his conditioning wasn't there. Very little training compares directly to competition against NHL players. If you look at his splits since the turn of the new year, his production is higher (40p/82gp). Once he finds his groove, he'll return to form, and then he'll be at about market value for a player of his calibre. His recent streak is marred a bit by the injuries the Leafs are dealing with right now, and to an extent, Kapanen having a groove with Matthews right now.

Ya you could go with the Defenseman but I still like Ratcliff as the entry level highly skilled big body replacement for Nylander. We get through next year with the defense we can put together and then in 2020-21 use Marleau's - 6m and Muzzins 4m = 10 m to sign a top 27-29 year old defense like Pietrangelo
2020-21 LD - Rielly, Dermott , Sandin, Rosen RD - Pietrangelo, Zeitsev, Liljegren, (or trade Zeitsev and replace him with another UFA signing)

I believe that Ratcliff could score 20+ NHL goals next year as a rookie. So they are getting a goal scorer back.

Assuming his production next season mirrors what he's done this season, his NHLe for goals is 19. I'm not saying it's impossible, but you'd have to assume that the advantages he has in the OHL (size, age, matchups, etc) would translate to a much faster and much stronger NHL. I don't think he has the wheels to match his OHL production in the NHL, so your guess of "20+" is incredibly optimistic.