Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander nearing the point of no return

With Dec. 1 fast approaching, the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly comfortable with letting William Nylander sit out the entire season.

No one genuinely thought we’d be at this point; not at this stage of the season. However, we are now less than two weeks away from the deadline for William Nylander to sign a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

If Nylander does not agree a new deal by 5 pm ET on Dec. 1, he will miss the entire 2018-19 campaign. And the Leafs are apparently just fine with this.

As per Sportsnet‘s Mike Johnston, the Leafs are willing to let the deadline pass and have the 22-year-old sit out the season. The news was originally shared by Sportsnet‘s Chris Johnston, during Saturday night’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada:

"“If there isn’t a trade that presents itself — and we spoke last week about the fact that they are gauging the market on William Nylander, and William Nylander’s demands don’t come to the range that they’re comfortable paying — they’re comfortable letting this player sit and I think that’s significant with the fact that it’s 13-plus days remaining and tensions only to get a little higher as we get closer to Dec. 1.”More from Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leafs Rumours: Half of NHL teams interested in Ilya MikheyevToronto Maple Leafs: How to address the goaltender positionLeafs reward Timothy Liljegren with extension after breakout seasonMaple Leafs: Jack Campbell situation becoming increasingly uncertainJason Spezza retires, joins Toronto Maple Leafs front office"

The Leafs and Nylander have both repeatedly indicated their preference is to have a long-term association with each other. With this in mind, the belief is that the two sides will still — somehow, some way — agree a new contract before Dec. 1.

And yet, this shared preference has still not resolved matters. As a result, the Leafs have unsurprisingly been receiving calls regarding the winger, with TSN‘s Pierre LeBrun claiming up to a third of NHL team’s have been in contact with general manager Kyle Dubas.

Various reports have indicated the Leafs have been sticking at around $6 million per season, while Nylander apparently wants closer to $8 million. Such is life in the salary cap era of professional sports in North America.

Interestingly, Sportsnet‘s Nick Kypreos claimed on Saturday night, that multiple teams are willing to pay Nylander around $7 million per season. And while this is not as much as he reportedly wants, it still exceeds the $6 million the Leafs having been offering.

However, as we’ve previously written, the Calgary, Alberta native has to be careful about what he wishes for. If money remains his number one motivation, he could find himself playing for a team less likely to contend; both in the short and long-term.

Ultimately, we are among those who believe Nylander will eventually agree a new deal with the Leafs rather than be traded. However, it’s now coming closer to the stage, where that deal will not be agreed until next summer at the earliest, after he has missed the entire 2018-19 campaign.

As we move ever closer to the deadline for signing Nylander, what is your perspective on the situation? Should the Toronto Maple Leafs re-sign him at all costs, attempt to trade him, or let him sit out the season and restart negotiations in the summer. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.