Insider provides latest update on Nylander and the Leafs

Today on TSN1050's First Up, Chris Johnston was asked if there was any progress on a Nylander extension now that Auston Matthews has been signed. Here's what he had to say about Nylander's future in Toronto:

"I do believe he's being sincere when he's saying he wants to be a Leaf for the rest of his career. I believe that's where his mind is at. We're at an impasse at what each side thinks the numbers look like... but I haven't gotten a sense that anything is particularly close at this time."

As Elliotte Friedman reported a couple of weeks ago following his interview with Nylander, Johnston also believes that Nylander truly does want to be a Leaf the rest of his career. While his ask seems high to many, myself included, with the cap rising significantly in the coming years, even at $10M, Nylander could end up being a bargain for much of his contract.

The issue may be that an 8-year term at that price for the Leafs is too high, given that it would take Nylander to age 35. Paying a player into his mid-thirties over $10M per season will not age well. With training camp set to kick off in mid-September, the Leafs and Nylander are running out of time to get a deal done before camp and have just over a month to get one done before it becomes a potential season-long distraction.