Insider reveals something very interesting about the Nylander and Matthews negotiations
Leafs Nation was abuzz on Thursday after The Chris Johnston Show's Julian McKenzie took to Twitter early yesterday afternoon to tease some interesting news about the Flames and the Leafs on their upcoming show. The news wasn't as big as some were led to believe, but something very interesting was revealed by Johnston on the show that certainly peaked the interest of Leaf fans.
During the program, CJ revealed that, while Auston Matthews is the most important player on the team, it may actually be William Nylander's contract that gets sorted out before the Matthews deal gets done.
"Auston Matthews is the most important decision because he's the most important player on the team, but, to me, there's no doubt that he's coming back... with William Nylander, it's more of a question, right? Because if you can't sign him to a deal that the team feels they can accommodate, then they might have to look at trading him. I don't see it going that way with Matthews.
If you're William Nylander and you're coming off of an 87-point season, you're probably looking for an extension that starts with a 9. I'm not saying $9M on the button gets it done - maybe it's $9.5M or $9.75M. I think that that's probably the range [Nylander] is going to push for.
I'd imagine the Leafs are willing to give him a raise on where he's been, but they're going to likely want that number to start with an 8 and so that actually might be the negotiations that ends up happening or playing out before the Matthews one does, because I do think the Leafs need some clarity quicker with Nylander - like is he here or not? I think there's a mutual confidence that the Matthews thing will get done in time and that it might just need some time. Like maybe you get through the rush of free agency, everyone takes a breath and you revisit it later in the summer and figure what goes on there.
Will [the Leafs] be getting an 8-year deal for William Nylander? Can they keep him under $9M if it gets to 8 years? And, so I think that that's a big decision." - Johnston on the Leafs perhaps pushing to get the Nylander deal done before the Matthews deal
If you're William Nylander and you're coming off of an 87-point season, you're probably looking for an extension that starts with a 9. I'm not saying $9M on the button gets it done - maybe it's $9.5M or $9.75M. I think that that's probably the range [Nylander] is going to push for.
I'd imagine the Leafs are willing to give him a raise on where he's been, but they're going to likely want that number to start with an 8 and so that actually might be the negotiations that ends up happening or playing out before the Matthews one does, because I do think the Leafs need some clarity quicker with Nylander - like is he here or not? I think there's a mutual confidence that the Matthews thing will get done in time and that it might just need some time. Like maybe you get through the rush of free agency, everyone takes a breath and you revisit it later in the summer and figure what goes on there.
Will [the Leafs] be getting an 8-year deal for William Nylander? Can they keep him under $9M if it gets to 8 years? And, so I think that that's a big decision." - Johnston on the Leafs perhaps pushing to get the Nylander deal done before the Matthews deal
Ultimately time will tell how this all goes down, but if it goes the way CJ is envisioning, we could see the Nylander deal occurring sooner than later - or if Nylander seems unwilling to extend this summer, perhaps he's dealt before the Matthews negotiations even begin.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 16 | 332 ANSWERS Insider reveals something very interesting about the Nylander and Matthews negotiations Which deal gets done first for the Leafs? | ||
| Matthews | 194 | 58.4 % |
| Nylander | 40 | 12 % |
| One or both will be traded | 52 | 15.7 % |
| They'll both be announced together | 46 | 13.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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