Insider reveals what Nylander's cap hit, at minimum, will be on his next contract

Today on TSN1050's First Up, NHL Insider Chris Johnston discussed what a potential extension for Nylander would look like and Johnston's projection isn't great news for the Leafs in the sense that they already have a trio of forwards locked up around the $11M mark.

"I don't know what the number is - probably somewhere with a 9 in it. That might sound like a lot but he's making almost 7M right now. Once that cap starts jumping, we'll have a different view of what a $9M contract is. I believe Nylander wants to stay in Toronto. He's coming off a great season, a pretty established player... I think he wants to stay and there's a way to make it happen."

Nylander is currently making $6.96M for the upcoming season and coming off of a 40-goal, 87 point season. He is certainly due for a raise. Some may not like the fact that his AAV will likely start with at least a 9, but from a Leafs perspective, anything under $10M might be worth it. With the cap expected to jump between $4M and $6M next off-season, finding an extra $2M-$2.5M for Nylander on a long-term deal should be much easier than many would think. Especially when you consider that John Tavares' $11M will be coming off of the books at the end of the 2024/25 season - so even if Nylander does end up getting $10M, the Leafs will only be rolling 4 forwards with double 8-figure salaries for one season before seeing a significant drop off in pay for Tavares.