Did Brad Treliving jab at the Nylander camp with his comments after Matthews signed his extension?
Earlier this week, the Leafs finally announced that Auston Matthews had agreed to a 4-year contract extension with the Leafs, which will effectively keep him in Toronto through the 2027-28 season, putting an end to the significant speculation that he would not sign before William Nylander signed his extension.
Leafs GM Brad Treliving met with the media this week following the signing of Matthews' extension, discussing not only the Matthews deal, but a wide range of topics. One thing he wouldn't do, however, was respond to questions about Nylander's contract status.
Some have already begun to speculate that Treliving may have delivered a bit of a jab to William Nylander and agent Lewis Gross when talking about the Matthews extension. The comment that led to this speculation was when Treliving suggested that Matthews was the one who initiated the conversation that led to him signing his mega-deal.
Was this a shot at Nylander and Gross over the idea that they're purposefully drawing this out to try to corner the Leafs with the threat of free agency looming next summer?
Treliving essentially publicly patted Auston Matthews on the back for wanting to get a deal done before camp to show his level of commitment to the organization and avoid the media circus that would have undoubtedly otherwise ensued during training camp and the season. One has to wonder if this was his way of sending the subtle message to William Nylander that if he wants to get a deal done, he'll have to be the one to push for a deal to get done, which would mean going to his agent and saying "get it done, Lewis".
It's really anyone's guess how this situation unfolds. Nylander may look at Matthews committing to getting a deal done before camp as a sign that he should perhaps follow suit and look to spare his teammates from having to answer questions about his contract status all year and the distractions that will come with that. He also may look to try to squeeze every last dollar out of the Leafs, holding out until July 1st, 2024 when free agency opens up and his agent can start up a bidding war. Time will tell how this all develops, but I'd imagine that with Matthews having put pen to paper, Nylander will be soon to follow.
I'm not sure if the comment made by Treliving about Matthews wanting to get his contract sorted out was subtly directed at Nylander, but if it helps to get a deal done before camp, I'll happily perpetuate that theory.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 27 | 279 ANSWERS Did Brad Treliving jab at the Nylander camp with his comments after Matthews signed his extension? Was Treliving's comment about Matthews being the one pushing to get a deal done a dig at Nylander and his agent, Lewis Gross? | ||
| Yes, and it was well-played | 141 | 50.5 % |
| No, it was strictly about crediting Matthews | 67 | 24 % |
| This is just unnecessary drama | 71 | 25.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
