Toronto Maple Leafs: What to make of Dubas and Nylander meeting in Switzerland

The William Nylander contract saga has taken an interesting turn with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas reportedly in Switzerland to meet with him.

It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kyle Dubas are taking the next step with William Nylander’s contract situation, at least that’s how the recent reports are being interpreted.

His absence hasn’t been noticed greatly so far, with Mike Babcock‘s team flying high with a 6-1-0 record and a league-leading 33 goals.

The Leafs have often been rumoured to be seeking to sign Nylander to a deal that would hold an average annual value close to $6.5 million while the Swedish star has regularly been rumoured to be hoping for closer to $8 million.

With the team performing so well in his absence, his leverage in negotiations is diminishing and this latest development, per Sportsnet, could indicate that the two parties are starting to make significant ground in negotiations.

Interestingly, someone on Twitter claimed to have heard Nylander’s name mentioned over a public address system at Zurich airport a day earlier – with the official confirmation coming originally from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.

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These contract negotiations have been a focal point of discussions both in the mainstream media and on social media platforms such as Twitter and should ramp up rapidly now that the two parties are finally meeting in person.

Nylander has been an important part of the new era of the Toronto Maple Leafs and has registered 135 points (48 points, 87 assists) in 185 regular season games.

The eighth-overall selection of the Leafs in the 2015 draft has well over ten years left in his career and will be a key contributor for any success the team has in the near and far future.

Signing him to a long-term deal is important and what both sides appear to want, so this meeting could certainly be the first step towards confirming a deal and getting Auston Matthews‘ regular line-mate back with the team.

What do you think Leafs Nation? Happy to see this latest development? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!