Leafs GM reveals his plans for pending UFA William Nylander

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Mike Armenti
September 10, 2023 (4:46 PM)

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There has been an abundance of William Nylander news this summer, but none of it has been an extension announcement, leading to plenty of speculation about a possible trade.

Rumours linking Nylander to a number of teams have emerged over the summer, most coming from sources that are, let's just say, less than credible. Some potential locations proposed were Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal.

Well, as it turns out, Nylander looks like he won't be going anywhere. This week, Leafs GM Brad Treliving sat down with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun to discuss his first offseason in Toronto and what lies ahead. Treliving seemed to be convinced that a Nylander extension will get done and appears, like Nylander, to be in no rush.

Nylander, 27, is coming off of a season in which he posted career highs in goals,(40) and points (87). It's not always the easiest thing to do to perform in a contract season, but Nylander is a player who often appears completely unbothered by outside noise. If he can put together another strong season and meet or exceed last season's totals, the Leafs may have no choice but to meet his lofty contract demands.

Nylander has one season remaining on his current contract, which carries a $6.96M cap hit. His ask is believed to be in excess of $10M per season on a new deal.