Toronto Maple Leafs: Could William Nylander still be traded?
By Paul Taylor
Even with the security of a new long-term deal for William Nylander, could the circumstances behind the drawn-out saga result in the Toronto Maple Leafs trading him?
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally re-signed William Nylander at essentially the last minute, and all is well in the world again. Or is it?
As we wrote on Sunday, Nylander’s new deal will carry a yearly cap hit of just under $6.97 million from next season. With several key negotiations coming up at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, general manager Kyle Dubas is going to have to work wonders to keep under the salary cap.
With Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner essentially guaranteed contract extensions, someone will miss out when it comes time to handing out new deals. As things stand, we believe Jake Gardiner will be the odd man out, with him set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
However, there is at least one other scenario, with someone other than Gardiner being the odd man out. And it’s an intriguing scenario, courtesy of USA Today‘s Kevin Allen.
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As Allen writes, even though Nylander is now signed for the long-term, there is still nothing to stop the Leafs from trading him. Remember that the team did receive a number on inquiries about the Swedish international, but never really found an offer even remotely enticing to them.
You may — quite rightly — ask why the Leafs would want to now trade the young winger, after all the hard work that went into negotiating a new deal with him? However, there is some compelling reasoning for still going down this road.
First of all, as Allen points out, opposing teams now know what they are getting into, in respect of the salary cap hit. In addition, Nylander is under contract for at least five years after this season, meaning teams will be more likely to offer something worthwhile in exchange.
From the Leafs’ perspective, having gone down the negotiation road once with the 22-year-old, they may well have already decided they don’t want to experience similar trials and tribulations next time. Speculation indicates his father, Michael Nylander, was a major reason why discussions were so awkward, and there is every possibility there will be the same issues next time.
Yes, there is always the chance of facing this type of issue with any player. However, the likelihood is arguably that much higher with Nylander, and the Leafs may have no interest in another dragged out affair.
Fans of the Calgary, Albert native will no doubt point towards his talent and upside as reasons to keep him around for the long-term. He is still very young, and only going to get better.
However, even here you can counter with the reality that the Leafs have performed just fine without him this season. Entering Monday night’s slate of games, they have the second most points in the NHL and have scored the third most goals.
As things stand, there is no way of knowing how this will all play out; who do the Leafs value more – Nylander or Gardiner? However, what we do know is that it’s a good problem for the team to have, with so much premium talent on the roster.
Next. Gardiner odd man out in Nylander deal. dark
What is your opinion of Nylander’s new deal? And do you agree the Toronto Maple Leafs may look to trade him, or do you believe he’ll be in Southern Ontario for the long run? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.