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There is a sizable divide of opinion between those who believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should go to all lengths to get William Nylander signed to a contract extension and those who believe he is a symbol of a soft core group that has won a single playoff series in seven playoff seasons.
Some may be skeptical about this, but my opinion lies somewhere in the middle. There is no doubt that Nylander is a valuable commodity, a talented scorer who has shown up at times in the playoffs, but that is balanced by what his contract demands are and the possibility of him walking away at the end of next season as an unrestricted free agent.
It all depends on the number. If Leafs GM Brad Treliving could get Nylander locked up on an eight-year deal in the range of Filip Forsberg’s $8.5 million AAV signed last summer or Timo Meier’s max deal at $8.8 million AAV, then a case can be made for keeping the 27-year-old.
If as reported by Chris Johnston, Elliotte Friedman, and Pierre LeBrun, Nylander is asking for more than $10 million per season, the Leafs simply cannot pay that or anything close to that with Auston Matthews new deal coming up, and Mitch Marner’s deal expiring in two years.
Over the next few days, we will take a look at a few different trade scenarios that appear realistic for Nylander.
Have a great wkd everyone! Our LTL Insider, Mike Augello, joined us for our first #PatioSeason episode and he has some 🔥takes on the #Leafs
There have been some rumors of the New York Islanders being interested in Nylander, likely because of their ongoing offensive issues, but Lou Lamoriello’s recent signings like Kyle Palmieri, J-G Pageau, and this summer’s re-upping of former Leaf Pierre Engvall for seven years have the Islanders right up against the cap.
Treliving could have an interest in 28-year-old blueliner Ryan Pulock (who has a slightly lower cap hit than Nylander at $6.15 million), but the downside is that he is signed for another seven years. Scott Mayfield just signed a seven-year deal to stay on Long Island, so it is unlikely that he will be moved. The most logical target for Toronto would be Noah Dobson. The 23-year-old has two more years on a bridge deal making $4 million, but after averaging 50 points the next two seasons, the PEI native will likely be in line for a big raise in the summer of 2025, one year before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Any deal involving Nylander will likely include him signing an extension, perhaps even a sign-and-trade similar to what Pierre-Luc Dubois did in the trade to Los Angeles, and based on how tight to the cap New York is, it might involve other pieces like RFA Oliver Wahlstrom, but to be beneficial to Toronto, it would have to include a young building block like Dobson, otherwise it makes no sense to do it.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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