Face the Facts, Toronto fans. William Nylander is currently is one of the best players in Canada -- and he may leave the Leafs.

Never!

Face the Facts, Toronto fans. William Nylander is currently is one of the best players in Canada.

Therefore, on his next contract, Willie should become one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.

And since Ny still believes that Canada's Queen City is the nicest place in the world to live -- short of Pago Pago and Hackensack, you'd think he'd want to play on the shores of Lake Ontario forever.

But when it comes to signing the eventual largest contract of his young life, Willie may be willing to make an exception.

By now g.m. Brad Treliving's spies must know how high Nylander's I.Q. (Intensity Quotient) is for Good Ole T.O.

What The Poor Man's Kyle Dubas does not know is how low Nylander's agent -- let's not kid ourselves, he's the guy who really counts -- will go.

Nor does Treliving know how intensely Nylander would love to get out of the Matthews-Marner-Tavares shadow and be Top Banana on another team.

You knew what they say; "If You Wanna Be The Top Banana, You Gotta Start At The Bottom Of The Bunch."

Well, Willie has been at the bottom of Matthews, Ltd. Now's his chance to view it from the top -- from a team other than Toronto!

Gold For Garland: 

The lineup of assorted teams looking to deal for Conor Garland extends all the way to Hackensack. In fact the demand is such that you'd think that this right wing is the second coming of -- hmmm! -- Chris Kreider. Nashville, Washington, Columbus and Winnipeg are among reported suitors.

So here's the colossal irony: More than a year has elapsed since the rumors started and this Lesser Connor still is wearing Canuck livery. (Hey, maybe he'll never get dealt.)

Maven Projects and Predicts: Why The Rangers Won't Sign Patrick Kane:

1. They don't need him; healthy or not; 

2. Adding Kane would displace one of the improving youngsters; 

3. The Blueshirts have a mighty arsenal. 

4. Barry Trotz will want Kane more in Nashville.

The Insider's Insider (3) The duets of Matthews-Marner and McDavid-Draisaitl are Canada's most marketable sharpshooters. Coming up fast on the other side of the border, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have the "Three G's," Guts, Goals and Glamour." The Devils crack power play is designed by old pal; Travis Green, another superior Tom Fitzgerald get.

Conflict At The OK Corral

It's Not As Exciting As Exciting as the classic flick "Once Upon A Time In The West." but the battle to keep the Coyotes in Arizona has been more suspenseful than "High Noon"

What's more, the melodrama lives on as the National Hockey League's deadline for the Yotes to produce a site for a new home is looming closer.

Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has been prospecting around Mesa and other points east and west for what could be a combination arena village.

The supreme irony here is that Meruelo is currently blueprinting just such a rink town in Reno-Nevada which almost is a hope-lifter. The problem is that Big Al's Reno Redoubt is not geared for a hockey team.

"There are no indications at this point that the Coyotes are part of the Reno plan," according to ABC15, Phoenix.

Reno is a minor league town and will have a minor league arena. The Phoenix area will have nothing unless some serious land is soon acquired. Otherwise, we come to Plan D. And if that doesn't pan out -- UH! OH!

The next destination could be either SALT LAKE CITY or HOUSTON. As for a third? Name any burgh you like because we're on Rue Du Rumeur!

A Capital Castle -- But Where?

Having covered many playoff games at the Senators' home -- no, silly, not Ottawa -- in distant Kanata, Ontario, I can assure you that it's no fun getting there.

For a New Yorker, for example, the trip by car would be roughly equivalent to driving from Times Square to Newburgh, up the Hudson. Scenic, yeah. But who needs "scenic" en route to an NHL game?

But the late Senators owner Eugene Melnyk had a plan, and that was to build his new rink not in distant Kanata but rather conveniently the LeBreton Flats. An events center and hotel would be part of the proposed NHL complex in Ottawa.

Unfortunately, the death of owner Melnyk led his family to sell the team to Michael Andlauer.

Not only did the new boss show minimal enthusiasm for LeBreton Flats, but the NHL dug a hole a little deeper by noting that the new owner was not obligated to build at the Flats.

At least the Sens still have a full-size arena, although it feels like a month and a year to get there.

By contrast, the Coyotes have a spanking new pond, but it seats only 5,000.

Surely, there should be some Arizona realtor with a nice plot of land for this up-and-coming hockey club.

You would think so, wouldn't you? But so far, it's just invisible.

Going Into The Corners:

* I get annoyed when I hear critics rip Quinn Hughes as "an offensive defenseman who can't defend."

* "Quinn can defend," says Canucks coach Rick Tocchet.

* The proof is in the Plus-Minus stats. Over the past two seasons, Quinn led all Van D-men in plus-minus on a non-playoff team.

* What's the fuss over slow-motion shootout goals?

* Evgeny Kuznetsov has the art down to a science!