Toronto Maple Leafs Close to a New Deal With William Nylander?

The status of William Nylander's contract negotiations with the Toronto Maple Leafs has frequently surfaced in the rumor mill since the summer. Slated to become a UFA on July 1, the 27-year-old winger is due for a significant raise after carrying an average annual value of $6.92 million on his current deal.

According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, the two sides may be drawing closer to getting a deal done. On Monday, he indicated the cap hit on Nylander's next contract could be around $11.25 million for eight seasons on what could be a frontloaded contract. That's comparable to what David Pastrnak signed last March with the Boston Bruins.

Kypreos also said the Leafs and Nylander's camp would like to get this out of the way before the 2024 NHL all-star weekend from Feb. 1 to 3. Luke Fox cited Elliotte Friedman, speculating the two sides could have the paperwork completed as early as this week.

Nylander, meanwhile, continues to decline comment about his contract talks. Nevertheless, these reports should put an end to trade speculation that has surfaced from time to time since the summer. The most recent had him linked to the Chicago Blackhawks.

If the Leafs and Nylander agree to the deal reported by Kypreos, he'll earn the second-highest AAV on the club behind Auston Matthews' $13.25 million. With the salary cap projected to rise to between $87 million and $88 million, the Leafs would have over $32 million in cap space. That's more than enough to get Nylander under contract and leave some room to re-sign or replace other players. THN's Adam Proteau explored that more on Wednesday.

Once Nylander is signed, the focus in Leafs Nation will shift toward Mitch Marner. The 26-year-old winger carries a cap hit of $10.903 million through 2024-25, after which he'll become eligible for UFA status. Expect the cost of signing Marner to be higher than Nylander's but less than Matthews', perhaps around $12.5 million annually.