The Toronto Maple Leafs held their final practice of their regular season opener. Fraser Minten and Noah Gregor earn spots in the opening-night lineup. There's a very good chance William Nylander and the Maple Leafs get a deal done in the future. NHL Insider Chris Johnston joined The Athletic's Jonas Siegel and James Mirtle on "The Leaf Report" podcast [https://theathletic.com/podcast/2-the-leaf-report/] on Tuesday where they discussed a number of topics, one being the contract negotiations between Nylander and Toronto If you look back at the beginning of training camp, where the 27-year-old addressed the media, he acknowledged the questions about his future but also said he wouldn't comment further on his contract. "I want to be here and this is where I want to play, but I'm going to let my agent (Lewis Gross) and Brad (Treliving) take care of that and I'm not going to answer any more questions about my contract." Furthermore, Nylander has mentioned numerous times — before and after this quote — that he wants to remain in Toronto. He wants to sign another contract with the Maple Leafs, and although that might take some time, his word is his word. "I don't think there's any reason to think Nylander won't sign an extension in Toronto," Johnston said on The Leaf Report. "Here's the dirty secret of that negotiation, in my opinion: The Leafs know he doesn't want to play anywhere else... The Leafs are the only ones who can sign him to an eight-year deal. So, what the Leafs can pay him over eight years and what another team, if he leaves on July 1st as a free agent could pay him over seven years is not really that different, right? If the Leafs gave him $9.5 million on an eight-year deal, that's $76 million. So a team on a seven-year deal would have to pay him over $10 million to get to that — almost $11 million. "I'm just saying, there's lots of teams out there that like William Nylander, I just don't think the delta between what the Leafs can give him on an eight-year deal, what other teams will give him on a seven-year deal, and the fact that this is a player that loves, like truly loves Toronto, wants to be in Toronto, doesn't want to consider being anywhere else. Like, I just think if you put that all in a stew together, they're going to find their way." Following that answer, Mirtle asked Johnston if he could see Nylander's situation being similar to Steven Stamkos' situation, where it gets to free agency and he even talks with other teams. "I don't know if it'll go that far because that one's so rare," Johnston said. "But I think it's possible. I mean, it's a big game of chicken, right? And to be fair, William Nylander's shown that he's willing to go right to the wire with that December 1st at whatever 4 p.m. Eastern time deal he got done with the Leafs just before the deadline a few years ago when he was a restricted free agent... "I think if you have a player that wants to be here, and I know the team really really really wants to sign him, I think ultimately cooler heads will prevail. and he'll be a Leaf, I really do. "I'm willing to say, I would put it at at least 90% right now that Nylander's a Leaf come next season." Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related Hot Leafs Bling: Toronto Featured on Drake’s New Sports-Inspired Chain [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/hot-leafs-bling-toronto-featured-on-drakes-new-sports-inspired-chain] Maple Leafs Explain 'Sloppy' and 'Careless' Loss to Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-explain-sloppy-and-careless-loss-to-blackhawks] Defensive Blunders and Other Observations From the Maple Leafs' Loss to the Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/defensive-blunders-and-other-observations-from-the-maple-leafs-loss-to-the-blackhawks] News from THN.com Sleepers and Keepers Podcast: Big Fantasy Hockey Questions from Week 1 [https://thehockeynews.com/podcast/sleepers-and-keepers-podcast-big-fantasy-hockey-questions-from-week-1] Canucks' Conor Garland Draws More Interest in the NHL Trade Market [https://thehockeynews.com/news/canucks-conor-garland-draws-more-interest-in-the-nhl-trade-market] NHL Three Stars: Hill, Pettersson and Matthews Shine in Week One [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-three-stars-hill-pettersson-and-matthews-shine-in-week-one]
