Toronto Maple Leafs: LA Kings reportedly talking Nylander trade
By James Reeve
The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander are still deadlocked in contract discussions, but talk of a potential trade appears to be growing traction.
There is less than a month to go before William Nylander forfeits an entire season in the NHL and, if reports are to be believed, other teams are starting to seriously consider trade offers to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the LA Kings are a team that is actively offering the Leafs a trade option – along with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Pagnotta states that an anonymous league source has suggested the Kings are willing to offer a package that includes defenceman Jake Muzzin and left winger Tanner Pearson, if Nylander becomes available.
Muzzin is an appealing player if the Kings are serious about offering a trade, giving the Leafs a legitimate top-four defenceman who would upgrade their current corps immediately.
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In 12 games this season, Muzzin has stellar possession stats – sporting a 54.4 percent Corsi rating whilst starting in the defensive zone 55.3 percent of the time.
He has averaged 21:19 on the ice, blocked 20 shots and thrown 21 hits in the process – a real asset along the blue-line that could allow Mike Babcock more options.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans sometimes pine for a Morgan Rielly/Jake Gardiner pairing, and the addition of Muzzin would allow him to slot next to Nikita Zaitsev and offer Babcock plenty of options for his bottom pairing.
Pearson, however, isn’t an overly great player to receive in this deal, though it is unlikely they would get much better from other teams.
Pearson has had a slow start to the season, registering just one assist in the opening 12 games.
Over his NHL career, he has been good for around 15 goals a season and could be a third or fourth line option if the Leafs acquired him.
The package of Muzzin and Pearson is a solid starting point if this is the route general manager Kyle Dubas decides to go down, but the Leafs should certainly expect and push for more, including draft picks.
The Hurricanes arguably still have better players to offer the Leafs, with Brett Pesce reportedly rated very highly by Dubas and Justin Faulk also being on the team’s radar earlier this off-season.
Nylander is a player the Leafs really need to push hard to keep, maybe even being a bit more flexible if he is asking for $7 million.
An annual average of $8 million might still be too much for the organisation at this point, but if Nylander has lowered his asking price then this deal needs to get done.
If neither party budges, then the Leafs certainly have options around the league if they take the trade route.
dark. Next. Podcast - Should the Leafs trade Nylander?
What do you think Leafs Nation? Will this deal get done, or will Nylander be traded before Dec. 1? Let us know who you would trade him for and whether or not you’d be happy to see him signed for $7 million-plus.