Leafs star winger linked to the Calgary Flames in interesting trade rumour

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Mike Armenti
August 5, 2023 (12:04)

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For the Maple Leafs and William Nylander, it's been a very frustrating summer in terms of being unable to find common ground on a new contract, with the two sides believed to be close to $2M apart in negotiations. Nylander has been eligible to sign an extension since July 1st.

There have been several suggestions from some very credible hockey minds throughout the early stages of the summer that the Leafs would be open to considering trade options for Nylander if the two sides cannot find common ground on a new deal. With Nylander's ask in excess of $10M per season, while the Leafs are countering with an offer believed to be less than $9M, there's a lot of ground to make up here to try to close that gap.

An interesting trade rumour has popped up on Saturday, with Hockey Buzz creator, Eklund, suggesting that the Leafs may actually be engaged in discussions with the Calgary Flames over a deal that would send Nylander to the Flames in a package that would be centered around defenseman Noah Hanifin.

All rumours should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's important to acknowledge the fact that not only was Nylander born in Calgary, but that Brad Treliving has a pre-existing relationship with Noah Hanifin as well, having traded for him once before.

Sometimes, where there's smoke, there's fire. I'm not convinced that this is a deal that happens for sure, but it also wouldn't surprise me either if it did occur.