let's not forget that unless we're in a salary cap thread discussing what players the Leafs will have to trade away, Nylander is not worth any defenceman that would move the needle for Toronto, according to HFBoards at least.
I don't think that's true at all.
I think the issue is there is a disconnect between where exactly in the development arc that defenseman may be.
I think Nylander could be traded tomorrow for a defenseman that could be a very valuable core piece for the Maple Leafs and could be a guy hoisting the cup in the Blue & White.
The issue is, a lot of Maple Leaf fans only want Nylander traded for a defenseman that can step in
tomorrow and be that guy. They project Nylander's potential and act like they are trading a 90 point forward and expect that return.
The reality is, defenseman are worth more than wingers (and let's not open the can of worms where we pretend Nylander is a center) and if you trade Nylander
today, you're going to, to a certain extent, be gambling a bit that you guy you acquire becomes that stud core piece defeneman, he's not that guy
today.
Today, Nylander is a 60 point winger. Could he be an 85 point winger down the road? Could he be a 90 point centre down the road? Sure.
But
today he is not that, or, in a best case scenario, he's not that
yet. The notion he could be traded and be traded at his full
projected value and get back a stud defenseman who can slot in on the first pair
today is silly and is (quite reasonably) mocked a lot on the main trade boards.
But if the Leafs hockey brass got together and formed a consensus on a young blueliner they project to one day down the road be the kind of core piece defender this team badly needs, they could roll the dice on a Nylander trade and acquire that guy and hope they are right and he turns into exactly what they need.
Not a perfect example because of the age differences, but years ago, when the St. Louis Blues traded Brendan Shanhan to Hartford for Chris Pronger they were mocked and criticized for not getting a full return on a player of Shanhan's skillset and pedigree.
A few years later, when Pronger developed more, the idea that he would be traded straight up for Brendan Shanahan was laughable. Pronger's value dwarfed Shanahan's. The Blues identified a guy they thought was going to be a stud and they made the deal at the right time. It was a leap of faith (though Pronger was very highly regarded so it wasn't a
huge leap of faith) but Keenan (in a rare moment of clarity) saw that Pronger's development was stagnating in Hartford and swooped in and plucked him.