The Maple Leafs' general manager has extended Auston Matthews and Sheldon Keefe in his short time at the helm.
The Maple Leafs' general manager has extended Auston Matthews and Sheldon Keefe in his short time at the helm.
Brad Treliving has done a lot of housecleaning in a short period of time.
The newly-minted Toronto Maple Leafs general manager signed franchise player Auston Matthews to a four-year, $53 million contract last month and elected to keep and extend the contract of head coach Sheldon Keefe.
So now his attention has turned to forward William Nylander, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season.
"Willy is a really important player and a really good player, and we want to get him done, too,” Treliving told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. “That’s next on the list.”
Treliving said he intends to have further talks with Nylander's agent, Lewis Gross. He declined to get into the details have how the talks have gone but acknowledged there is a desire from both sides.
"He’s told me he wants to be in Toronto. That’s the most important thing," Treliving said. "If there’s a desire on both sides, then you should be able to come to an agreement."
TSN Insider Chris Johnston acknowledged on his podcast this week that talk chatter regarding the situation had gone "eerily quiet" for him which is unusual for him.
A deal before training camp opens on Sept. 20 would mitigate any of the noise that would be around the club and Nylander. Treliving acknowledged part of that that came with getting Matthews extended and declaring Keefe's return and extension as well.
Nylander is in the final year of a contract that carries an average annual salary cap hit of just under $7 million. The 27-year-old forward is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw him notch career highs in goals (40) and assists (47).
The question remains how soon can a deal get done? Reports earlier in the summer suggested both sides were very far apart in negotiations.
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Nylander expressed that there wasn't a rush on the situation.
"I still got one more year left and that's the place I want to be at," Nylander said. "There's lots of time to get something done."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX6jaDb3eoQ[/embed]
Maple Leafs training camp is set to open on Sept. 20 with their regular season schedule getting underway on Oct. 11 at home against the Montreal Canadiens.
Related
Report: Former Maple Leafs Forward Kasperi Kapanen Suspected of Aggravated Drunk Driving
What the Maple Leafs Are Getting in Signing Noah Gregor to a Professional Tryout Contract
News from THN.com
Predicting the NHL's Pacific Division Rankings in 2023-24
Every Western Conference NHL Team's Current Active Leader in Games Played