It's no secret that the Leafs have some serious work to do when it comes to re-signing Auston Matthews and William Nylander. The two superstars make up half of the "Core Four", and are both in the final year of their contracts. While things are looking positive for Matthews, we can't say the same for Nylander's negotiations.
Leafs and Nylander Far Apart
According to trusted insider Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs and William Nylander's camp are very far apart in contract negotiations.
Nylander believes he deserves an AAV north of $10 million, while the Leafs view him as an $8 million player. While it's understandable that the Leafs would like to keep Nylander's cap hit low, Nylander certainly has a case here.
He's historically been the only member of the Core Four to perform up to expectations in the playoffs and even took a low-value contract on his current deal for the sake of the team.
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It seems like maybe the Leafs have backed themselves into a corner with their current contract situation.
What Are Toronto's Options
While they would obviously like to bring back Nylander, the Leafs may have to start looking at alternative routes. Nylander has a modified no-trade clause on his deal, meaning there are 10 teams the Leafs cannot trade him to. That leaves 21 other teams in the NHL that the Leafs could look to strike a deal with.
Perhaps the Leafs could trade Nylander to a team more willing to pay him his desired salary while bringing in some major assets in return.
A package of a 1st round pick, a top prospect, a B-level prospect, and a young roster player might be enough to get a deal done.
As Seen on Twitter
| POLL | ||
3 JUILLET | 1536 ANSWERS BREAKING: Nylander's Astonishing Contract Demands Have Been Revealed Should the Leafs trade Nylander? | ||
| Yes | 1125 | 73.2 % |
| No | 411 | 26.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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