What you say may have merit. Though I’m not sure how much weight I give to “desperate to start a war between NATO and Russia.” But yes, it is true that wars generally do tend to pump up an ailing economy.
That Putin would prefer “working with” a friendlier, pragmatic Trump rather than even a compromised but wholly untrustworthy Clinton (both of them) is what strikes a chord with me. Putin may be - ok, is - a scoundrel but one thing for sure is that he loves his Mother Russia and wants to advance her interests in all ways possible. Advancing those interests would be a lot more attainable with the revitalization of the Russian economy that cutting “deals” with Trump could provide. And dealing with Trump would likely enhance Russia’s bargaining position with Europe as well.
In any event, I’d rather have Putin cooperating, to further Russia’s interests, with the USA and the West than to have him working with China.
Well-connected people (aka Trump) likely know whether or not Russia - and other players - stole emails and other data from Clinton’s illegal server. Trump may well be figuring that Putin or Wikileaks or somebody will leak enough evidence to sink Hillary. Perhaps not to sink her legally but enough to run her election bid into the ditch.
Let me clarity: I don’t think Trump cutting “deals” with Russia can solely revitalize the Russian economy but would certainly be a boost in that direction.