If the Toronto Maple Leafs don't have enough cap space to re-sign William Nylander and he enters the trade market, would the Anaheim Ducks be interested?

William Nylander's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs is an ongoing subject of speculation.

Reports emerged last month claiming contract extension talks weren't going well. Some pundits suggested the Leafs trade the 27-year-old winger rather than lose him to free agency next July. Others, however, feel the club should retain him as a self-rental for the coming season as they pursue that elusive Stanley Cup.

NHL Network's Mike Rupp said he thinks Nylander will be traded at some point this season. With Auston Matthews to re-sign, he points out that there isn't enough long-term cap space for the Leafs to retain both.

Rupp would like to see Nylander join a club where he'll have a chance to truly stand out, suggesting the Anaheim Ducks as a perfect fit. He envisions the skilled winger skating on the Ducks' top line with center Trevor Zegras and winger Troy Terry.

Whether the Ducks or Nylander would agree with that assessment is another story.

With about $16.66 million in cap space this season, the Ducks can easily afford Nylander's $6.962-million cap hit. Their $39.3 million in cap space for 2024-25 provides plenty of room to sign him to a long-term deal with a hefty pay raise.

Adding Nylander would help the Ducks accelerate their rebuild. However, they could be unwilling to part with the top prospects and high draft picks that the Leafs will surely ask for in return.

The decision could come down to Nylander, who has a 10-team no-trade list for this season, according to PuckPedia. He could be reluctant to go from a potential Stanley Cup contender to a club that's in the middle of rebuilding its roster. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman posted to social media Wednesday morning that Nylander even said there's lots of time to sort out his contract, and there's nowhere else he wants to be than Toronto.