Nylander is entering the final year of a six-year, $45 million deal he signed back in 2018.
Nylander is entering the final year of a six-year, $45 million deal he signed back in 2018.
It's been clear for some time now that William Nylander thrives in the pressure cooker that is Toronto.
But this next season will be as big as ever for the 27-year-old.
Ahead of Maple Leafs training camp, which begins on Thursday, head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that Nylander would begin training camp at center.
"Willy's going to start at center in camp tomorrow," he said. "I've talked to Willy about it. (Brad) Treliving and I have talked a lot through the offseason about it."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3BKNdHSmLg[/embed]
As you may remember, Nylander was actually drafted as a center back in 2014. And although he's played there at times, he's never gotten a consistent run there, which will change this season.
"We'll commit to it for a bit here," Keefe said. "(We're) not committing to any sort of specific period of time, but just to say it's not going to be a one-off or a one-day thing or a one preseason game. We want to give it some time to come together just to see what that looks like."
The 27-year-old forward had career highs in both goals (40) and assists (47) last season as a winger, which put him second in points among players on the Maple Leafs' roster.
Having the three of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Nylander down the middle could pay dividends in the long run for Toronto. The one thing it'll do right off the hop is spread the depth around more, especially with Nylander there.
Whether it'll work is yet to be seen, but as Keefe said on Wednesday, "Willy can do whatever he puts his mind to, he's that good."
The Nylander Contract Extension
Following a fascinating summer which saw reports that the Maple Leafs and the 27-year-old weren't close on a number, the question of whether he'll remain in Toronto gets bigger.
But Maple Leafs captain John Tavares believes this is the perfect place for the 27-year-old.
"The kind of guy he is, I really think he's someone who's built to play in Toronto," he said.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I58dz3Dh4PQ[/embed]
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving stated on Wednesday that this would be the final time he discusses the negotiations between the team and Nylander publicly. He also remained firm that signing the 27-year-old is very important.
"Obviously it's a priority. We want to get Willy signed. Willy's a really good player. You want to keep your good players. Willy's expressed to me — him and I have talked — that he wants to be here.
"That's usually a good starting point. And so we'll try to get it done. The lines of communication will always stay open. We'll work with Lewis (Gross) and see where it gets to."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86TZwyCz7wc[/embed]
When you become the new GM of a team, there are always plenty of new faces, Nylander's being one of them. It just happened that this situation fell into the lap of Treliving.
But aside from the negotiations, what has the Maple Leafs GM learned about the 27-year-old?
"He is a cool cat. He's a really neat kid. I've always had the outside view and I always thought, 'There's not a lot that bothers this guy.' And when you get to know him, there's not a lot that bothers this guy."
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