Toronto Maple Leafs: Nylander remains in Sweden as camp approaches

Toronto Maple Leafs players report for their medicals on Thursday ahead of camp, but William Nylander remains in Sweden with his contract situation unresolved.

Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ annual golf tournament was rained off on Monday, it was smiles all around. The players spent an extended period of time talking to the media and it was clear everyone was excited for the beginning of training camp.

This is understandable, with the Leafs pegged as genuine contenders for the Stanley Cup this coming season. And yet, the setting at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ontario was notable for the absence of one key individual.

That individual was William Nylander. With the players set to report for medicals on Thursday, the restricted free agent is still unsigned.

In fact, as per Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Nylander remains in Sweden even though training camp officially starts on Friday. He is reportedly staying away, while negotiations are ongoing between the team and his agent, Lewis Gross.

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Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has insisted for the last couple of months there is nothing to worry about and that the 22-year-old would be signed in time. And the player himself has indicated that he was in no hurry.

Essentially, both sides have stressed that patience is a virtue. And yet, it is difficult not to at least be slightly concerned as the clock ticks down to the start of training camp.

Nylander is projected to play on the first line, alongside Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau. As such, while missing time during training camp and the preseason is theoretically not a disaster, it’s also hardly ideal.

For their part, Nylander’s teammates remain unconcerned, at least publicly. For example, John Tavares told TSN’s Kristen Shilton that he expects the 2014 eighth overall draft pick to be in camp.

Now, we could be facetious and point out that Tavares never said the start of camp. Regardless, the Leafs’ star centre is positive about how contract negotiations will play out for his colleague.

Of course, no matter how positive or confident the rest of the Leafs players are, this doesn’t change how difficult the negotiations have been. Given how long the situation has now dragged on, it seems almost certain the key issue is over the length of any prospective deal.

Understandably so, Nylander wants the security of a long-term contract. However, the Leafs would refer he signs a two-year bridge deal, which will in turn help their negotiations with Matthews and Mitch Marner.

In an ideal world, we know both Nylander and the Leafs want to enjoy a long-term relationship. However, the salary cap means there is no such thing as an ideal world; as such, everyone waits nervously to find out how the contract standoff plays out.

With camp nearly here, how concerned are you about the Nylander contract situation? More specifically, how do you see this playing out between now and the start of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ regular season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.