How’s your new year been so far? Have you had enough William Nylander content on your plate to start the season? Well head back for another helping, because we’ve started this fine Monday morning off with another nugget, this time coming from TSN’s Darren Dreger.
In the past week or so, the Leafs have gone from radio silent, tight-lipped negotiations between Nylander and Treliving, to the team essentially dangling a blank cheque in front of him. Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston, of Sportsnet and TSN respectively, have both reported that the deal will be coming to fruition sooner rather than later, and even Michael Nylander’s name has come up here and there.
“It’s imminent, whether it’s today or tomorrow”
This morning on #FirstUp, @DarrenDreger told us how close #LeafsForever and William Nylander are to an extension and what the details of the deal are! 👀 pic.twitter.com/lEJTjQKEaL
— First Up (@FirstUp1050) January 8, 2024
There was already some speculation that today might be the day Nylander signs, as Friedman directly speculated on today as a possibility during his “Saturday Headlines” segment during the Maple Leafs and Sharks game this past weekend. This morning, Dreger hopped on First Up on TSN 1050, joining hosts Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo to discuss the contract among other things. Here’s the gist of what he said (you can listen to the interview for yourself here):
“It’s imminent. Whether it’s today or tomorrow, that will be determined by Brad Treliving and Lewis Gross as they tidy up the final details. The heavy lifting is complete and I will maintain that the AAV is going to be north of $11 million, and I would be surprised if it’s not $11.5. Like I said, whether it’s today, tomorrow, or latest by Wednesday, I believe the Leafs will have an 8-year term and the AAV will be between $11-11.5.”
That quote is paraphrased, but much of the conversation centered around the expected term and value, and there was some chatter about how the Leafs and Nylander reached their agreement. As most people knew already, they began talking about an extension over the summer, but the Swede’s reported asking price at the time (roughly $10 million) was too much for Toronto’s liking. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but Nylander at $10 million annually for the season he’s having would look like a dream contract right now.
Either way, assuming the deal comes to fruition the way it’s expected to, the Leafs will have two of the core four locked up to new long-term deals. While there are arguments to be made that his reported range of $11 million and $11.5 million are too steep for his body of work, he’s been trending upward for the past few seasons now. At this point of the season, Nylander is on pace for upwards of 40 goals and 115 points, and although it would be foolish to expect him to produce at this exact pace for the rest of his career, he brings a level of production and consistency that’s not easy to replace. On top of that, as the new general manager of a team like the Maple Leafs, there’s going to be added pressure to retain your star players.
While nothing about Nylander is confirmed yet, The Leafs Nation will be on the ball when the eventual terms are leaked and the contract is finalized.
Nylander currently leads the Maple Leafs in points with 21 goals and 54 points in 37 games.
