ROR at 3c would be sick.

IMO, Scoring and offense isnt the Leafs problem or achilles heel. Its team defense, defense and goaltending.

Im not going into the whole grit, physicality thing, but theres a reason last year why Lyubushkin, girodano immediately got top 4 minutes. Because they are physical and clear the crease. Liljegren, Sandin, Reilly are nice puck rushers but not crease clearers. Brodie and Holl are adequate. The team is fine defensively if you had a Roy, Brodeur, Hasek in net, but I just dont have confidence in Murray or Samsonov to make up for a poor two way team.

This team's scoring and skating is not an issue, its confidence and system of two way play is lacking. Just adding Jarnkrot and ZAR doesn;t fix that. This team goes as far as the top 4 forwards can carry them offensively, but they cant play 24+ minutes a night.

So the difficulty lies in trade pieces and cap space. The Leafs most valuable trade pieces are the ones the desperately need and cant give up: (Nylander, Sandin, Liljegren, picks and top prospects). So what can they trade to bring some zest into the bottom 6 or address the elephant in the room: goalkeeping?

Reilly or a Horvat at 3C would be great, but so would the price in trade, and there are very few available goaltending DEFINITE upgrades. And who could you trade that has value and not damage the team (certainly not Liljegren or Sandin)

I think DUbas will tinker a bit (and it will cost prospects and picks), but this is the team HE wants/created, and theres little tradeable commodities to make a big splash.

Guys like Kerfoot/Holl/Engvall will have little value at deadline and if Robertson isn;t in the top 6 by then, he'll have little trade value. Everybody else - prospects and AHL guys -
besides Hirvonen, Topi and Knies, (including Malgin, Holmberg, Anderson), dont carry much value for a BIG deal.

Somebody like Pius Suter/Reilly WITH retention is probably a TOR 1st and one of the top 4 prospects and maybe more. Even a dented and not really a top 6 forward in Foligno cost a 1st and 4th.

As soon as Wings are healthier I would trade Suter for that (Sens) 3rd round pick.

For the reasons Hammerwise mentioned, I would say the cheaper of ROR/Toews (if he's available) in terms of cost of acquisition. Then on the back-end barring a Chychrun-trade which I wouldn't be a fan of, I think they go with their current guys, and get a guy who can clear the net like Zub, Gavrikov, or Soucy, again whichever is cheapest to acquire (Schenn's name has been thrown around but I think they would just expect Benn to play instead), and I suspect that they will play over Sandin.

The Leafs would need to move money in, money out so, for both move to happen it probably takes moving Kerfoot+Engvall out (5.75m - possible to keep Engvall if acquisitions can be fit into ~7m) so there would need to be enough retention to accommodate for that. The other pieces that it will likely cost (ignoring 4ths and 5ths for 3rd team retention): is a (1st+4th or two 2nds+3rd)x2 + Robertson + Hirvonen/Voit.

The other approach that they might take if they are confident in the d-core as is:
Add guys like ROR+Barbashev to replace Kerfoot+Engvall and add a Schenn for D-depth.

So, basically a defensive 1/2C to play 3C (preferably with leadership+playoff pedigree like ROR or Toews) + a defensive top 4D/top 6D OR defensive "3C" + top 9 F/middle 6F/"top 6 F" (physical) + defensive top 6D

If they add Chychrun, it should be Sandin+ imo, I think he will want out eventually unless Chychrun is playing his offside), but I'm guessing Dubas will deal with that problem when it happens.

So, again Kerfoot goes out (this trade would be sooner rather than later so perhaps Kerfoot is traded to ARZ then moved at deadline if he can't be traded to a 3rd-team prior). 2023 1st + Robertson + B-prospect + 3rd (if this doesn't get Chychrun, then I don't see him coming to Toronto, perhaps Dubas would give up Niemela but I think he would be reluctant due to Chychrun's injury history). Alternate would be Sandin+Robertson+ 2023 1st + 4th for Chychrun + latest of their 2023 2nds, or Sandin+Robertson+2024 2nd + 2023 4th for Chychrun.

They should then have 2.4m to add a forward or 4.65m if they get rid of Engvall. If Chychrun fits very well and helps transform the Leafs defense, then perhaps they would make another splash on a guy like ROR/Toews, but I think they would just add someone that can fit in the 2.4m left.

Suter would cost a 3rd minimum. More likely a 2nd as a defensively sound center/ playmaking wing at the tdl