Toronto Maple Leafs: Why they need to remain firm with William Nylander

Market comparables are there

For people suggesting that Nylander is worth what the Edmonton Oilers are paying Leon Draistatl ($8.5 million cap hit a season) should realize the issue with that comparison.

Draistatl took advantage of Connor McDavid signing for $12.5 million and putting up 77 points over 82 games and 16 points in 13 games. The following season Draistatl didn’t elevate his game at all, he actually performed below the expectations of his contract and the Oilers suffered for it with a poor season.

So far, the centre has seen a better start to his season with 10 goals, seven assists in 17 games. The problem is that he’s not even playing down the middle anymore as the Oilers have moved him back up with McDavid.

So what’s the point in all this? The Oilers paid Draistatl $8.5 million a season because they anticipated him being the number two centre behind McDavid would he be getting paid the same amount to be on the wing? It’s possible but it makes the Oilers situation that more complicated.

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The Leafs don’t have that issue, John Tavares and Auston Matthews are the 1-2 punch the Oilers would love to have with McDavid and Draistatl. Nylander isn’t going to play centre with the centres the Leafs had so his value is as a winger.

This is where people are looking at what David Pastrnak is making with the Bruins ($6.66 million cap hit) as the next comparable player for the Leafs and Nylander. The issue is many realize the value of Pastrnak’s deal and know he’s exceeding it especially this season.

He has 16 goals, seven assists in 17 games (as of Nov. 13) after putting up 35 goals, 45 assists and 80 points in the first year of his deal. Before that, Pastrnak had 70 points in 75 games and was trying very hard to get an eight-year deal with a larger cap hit.

The Bruins are not a team with a lot of cap space and are fortunate to have Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron signed for less than $7 million each. The Leafs are trying to do that with their young stars with Nylander proving to be the first tough hurdle.

Sure the salary cap has gone up which is why many deals look better now than when they were signed. It’s more about the percentage of the cap and how it projects down the line which is why Nylander thinks that the number he’s looking for isn’t an outrageous demand.

Unfortunately, Pastrnak’s deal is something the Leafs are going to use as the maximum offer according to Johnston. Many realize that Nylander asking for more than Pastrnak is a stretch but if he can elevate his game to that level than sure he will be worth it but right now he isn’t and the Leafs shouldn’t take that gamble with Matthews and Mitch Marner still needing new deals.

What do you think about the Nylander situation as we get closer to the deadline? Should the Leafs remain firm in their position? Let us know in the comments below.