Pieces for shittier leafs..

Why would the Ducks make that trade? And why do the Leafs want to trade so much for a Dman in 30s with a big contract to age 40. IMO, Montreal would give Weber away just to get cap space. Despite trading for Weber the defence is overall worse with all the guys leaving.

The Ducks don't score enough goals to be a serious playoff team(GF=114, 10th in Western Conference, they also need to cut down on GA but that's another story). When you look at their roster its obvious they're lacking top 6 left wing scorer. JVR is just that, he's on pace for 34 goals despite only averaging just over 14 min per game. I concede that the return I suggested was a bit generous, perhaps swapping the second 1st round pick for a 2nd round pick would be more fair. Also Ritchie looks like he could be a bust for a 10th overall pick, most likely to be a tough bottom six forward. So he would be only be a slight upgrade over Rychel. I think the Ducks on paper at least are a serious cup contender if they can add one or two top six left wingers.

Despite Weber's age, top 2 defenceman are hard to come by. A team acquiring him could probably get 4 plus good seasons out of him. They'll get a significant return for him but they'll need to retain some of his salary. I've even read some suggest Nylander be traded as part of a package for him but I think that's a nonstarter for the reasons you stated. I think a somewhat raw top four defenceman in Zaitsev, plus Borgman, Gauthier and top draft picks is more reasonable.

Garrison sucks