Nylander has one season remaining on his current deal and reiterated his desire to remain in Toronto.
Nylander has one season remaining on his current deal and reiterated his desire to remain in Toronto.
William Nylander wants to stay in Toronto.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward’s current contract expires at the end of the upcoming season. He’s been eligible to sign a new deal since July 1.
So what gives?
Nylander, knowing he was likely to get the question of his contract status during his first media availability, addressed the situation and put some parameters in place.
"I want to be here and this is where I want to play," Nylander said on Thursday. "But I'm going to let my agent (Lewis Gross) and Brad (Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving take care of that and I'm not going to answer any more questions about my contract."
From the moment the negotiation window opened up, there were several reports that Nylander's camp and the Maple Leafs were far apart. The 27-year-old is due a hefty raise from his dollars-shy-of $7 million salary cap hit from his existing deal. He put career highs in goals (40) and assists (47) last season.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX6jaDb3eoQ[/embed]
It's clear the Maple Leafs want him back.
"We'll try to get it done," Treliving said on Wednesday. "We'll work with Lewis and see where it gets to."
A few weeks ago, Nylander sat down with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the '32 Thoughts' podcast as part of the NHL media tour in Stockholm, Sweden. It was there where he mentioned there was lots of time to figure it out. Given how calm, cool, and collected Nylander can be in any situation on the ice, it isn't a shock to see him handle this in the same fashion.
"I still have one more year left," Nylander said smiling. "That's really all I'm thinking about."
When asked if he was open to negotiating mid-season, Nylander deferred back to his agent handling everything.
It's could be a transformative year for Nylander, who started training camp as a center for the first time in his NHL career. Having previously slotted into that spot in the later stages of previous seasons, Treliving is the one who brought the idea to Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe about giving it an extended look.
On the first day of on-ice sessions, Nylander centered a line with Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok.
"With Domi and Jarnkrok you have two guys there who have played center (before)," Keefe said of the formation. "Domi is good at faceoffs and can take left-handed faceoffs, there's a good fit there. And Jarny does a good job getting to the net in getting open and getting available."
If Nylander fully embraces the position and brings a new element to his game, it could strengthen his cause bigger deal with the Maple Leafs.
Toronto is going with Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Nylander and David Kampf as their four centers to start camp. Tavares' contract, which pays him $11 million per season, is up one year after Nylander's deal.
If Nylander can evolve to someday become a 2C solution for the Leafs, that could help bridge whatever negotiation gap there is for Toronto.
"I told Sheldon wherever he wants me to play I'll play," Nylander said of the role. "If the move is to put me back on the wing later, it's way easier."
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