Quoting: Erbas1915
Tanev for Brodie seems kind of redundant, no? When healthy Tanev is a bit better, but it's pretty close and they play the same position. I disagree about Backlund, he's a perfect fit for the Leafs roster right now and if you can extend him for 2-3 years at a reasonable price you're getting a great player for a cup push the next few years
If you don't want to trade Robertson, I'd also be willing take back Lijlegren instead although I suspect that may throw the balance of the trade off
Yeah, Tanev for Brodie is redundant but it does provide the Leafs with 500K cap relief, but you can't claim to improve the Leafs defense by bringing in Zadorov to replace Brodie even with the addition of Hanifin. Brodie/Tanev are much better shutdown dmen and that's an aspect that is going to be missed with the original trade.
Backlund is 34, if they sign him to a multi-year extension they are likely paying more than they can afford or should vs if they signed him as a ufa next year which could come back to haunt them. So, while he could be a nice add, he's not a player that I think you look to acquire and pay additional for in a Nylander trade. If it's clear that the Leafs need a 3C, then they could perhaps acquire him or Henrique as trade deadline rentals. Even if they end up paying more then, it's at least knowing that Domi, Kampf, and Holmberg were unable to secure the 3C role.
The trade (whether my version or the original) is already not good without adding Liljegren imo. Defense in terms of the dcore, hasn't been an issue for the Leafs for a while now but there's always room for improvement. The Leafs won't be able to get the top pairing Dman that they need but that's the kind of significant improvement that they need that would be worth weakening their top 6. Otherwise, their main goal should be to get compliant without trading major pieces, then throughout the season they look to add whatever they need.