If the Leafs move Nylander this summer, there's one player who makes a ton of sense to target
William Nylander is a name that, even among Leafs fans, can spark a heated debate. On one hand, the skill level that Nylander possesses is extremely high. On the other, his compete level, consistency and willingness to take a hit to make a play is certainly lacking at times.
The Leafs are entering a very interesting offseason. They're coming off of a sixth consecutive first round loss and, though their effort this time around was much better, the result was the same and most are willing to admit that the time for a change is long overdue.
There is a good chunk of Leafs fans who believe that Dubas and Shanahan's comments about running it back this year once again were just posturing and that they're almost certainly considering a significant move to shake up the roster. Given the fact that compete level has been the mantra in Toronto for a few seasons now and that Nylander seemingly doesn't want to buy in. So if he is the odd man out, who should the Leafs target in a deal involving the 26-year-old Swede? How about Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin?
Larkin is entering the final year of his contract, while Nylander has two years remaining on his deal, so chances are that not only can the Leafs swing a deal centered around Larkin for Nylander, but it's a trade that they can also win, as it would likely require Wings GM Steve Yzerman to add a pick or a prospect, since Nylander has an extra year on his deal. The question is, would Yzerman entertain the idea?
Larkin will earn just $6.1M next season, while Nylander will earn in excess of $6.9M, so the Leafs would be saving $800,000 in cap space in the deal. Also, Larkin is a competitor, who finishes his checks and is not afraid to get his hands dirty if required. Nylander is, as we've seen numerous times this season and in seasons past, the player who typically skates away from scrums and will avoid getting his hands dirty at all costs.
Obviously, the Red Wings have a strong contingent of Swedish players on the roster, including young up-and-comer Lucas Raymond. Some others include Oskar Sundqvist, Gustav Lindstrom, Jonatan Berggren, Pontus Andreasson, Simon Edvinsson and a few others. I'm sure most or all of these players have at least some experience skating with Nylander in Sweden over the offseason or perhaps even during international play for some.
As for Larkin, he was a former teammate of Auston Matthews back in 2013-14 in the U.S. National Under-18 Team, so there's certainly some familiarity there. In addition, if the Leafs are seriously considering moving John Tavares to the wing next season, having Larkin in the fold to slot in at 2C immediately undoubtedly makes the Leafs a better team. It would allow the Leafs to keep the trio of Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner together, while providing captain John Tavares with a dynamic young center in Larkin to play off of. Both players can feed and both players can finish. Larkin also has the straight line speed that Tavares lacks as well.
Larkin has played 504 games to Nylander's 439. Both players had comparable seasons in 2021-22, with Nylander finishing with 80 points in 81 games, while Larkin finished with 69 points in 71 games. The glaring difference between these two young stars is that Larkin plays a more difficult position, is definitely the more feisty of the two and while Nylander was producing his 343 points with a highly competitive Leafs team, Larkin was putting up his 358 points with a bottom-feeding Red Wings team, bereft of talent for much of his time there.
Just some outside the box thinking here. I'd imagine that a Larkin for Nylander deal is not out of the realm of possibility and it is also one for the Leafs that ultimately improves the team right away.
| POLL | ||
MAI 20 | 623 ANSWERS If the Leafs move Nylander this summer, there's one player who makes a ton of sense to target Should the Leafs explore a Nylander for Larkin deal? | ||
| Yes | 288 | 46.2 % |
| No | 102 | 16.4 % |
| If they're trading Nylander, they can do better | 135 | 21.7 % |
| Detroit is not trading their captain | 98 | 15.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
