GM Brad Treliving explains where the Leafs are at with William Nylander contract talks
The temperature is rising in Toronto regarding the William Nylander negotiations and the lack of a contract extension, despite the fact that Auston Matthews pushed to get his deal done a year early and before training camp in hopes of allowing both he and the team to avoid any distractions throughout the season.
The fanbase is growing tired of Nylander's negotiating tactics and delaying a deal. Nylander appears to be in no rush this time around either, recently stating during the NHL's European Media Tour that he has a full year remaining on his contract and commenting on the fact that he has plenty of time left with which to negotiate a new deal.
On Friday, NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun shared an interview with Leafs GM Brad Treliving. During the interview, Treliving did touch on the Nylander situation, stating that while he didn't care to get into specifics, he and the Leafs' 2nd line sniper are on the same page.
"I'm not going to get into the play-by-play of it other than to say he's a very good player and you always want to keep the good players, and he's told me he wants to be in Toronto. That's the most important thing. If there's a desire on both sides, then you should be able to come to an agreementIt starts with the understanding that we think Willy is a top player and we want him and he's telling me he wants to be there, so hopefully we can find a way to get it done. - Treliving on where things stand with Nylander
Treliving was also asked whether or not Nylander and the team were at a standstill and if there was some sort of an issue between the two sides that was preventing them from talking and negotiating a new deal. He responded by saying, "no, no, no, we'll talk here prior to getting the season started and see where we're at. But we still have a year."
Lewis Gross, the agent for William Nylander seemed to confirm that Treliving was being truthful. He told The Athletic, "we're open to trying to get a deal done, as well."
Nylander is coming off of a sensational season, during which he posted career highs in goals (40) and points (87). The hope is that he can build off of that and either replicate or exceed those results in 2023-24.
| POLL | ||
Is William Nylander worth $10M per season? | ||
| No, but he's not far off | 474 | 64.8 % |
| Yes, he's highly skilled | 162 | 22.1 % |
| It depends heavily on the term | 96 | 13.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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