Leafs in a tough spot as neither Matthews nor Nylander wants to be the first to sign an extension
It was revealed over the last few days that William Nylander is willing to sign an 8-year extension with the Leafs. That, however, also comes with an asking price exceeding $10M per season, according to many insiders. Nylander's ask poses a problem for the Leafs who want to sign him to a deal that has an AAV starting with an 8.
We also know that Auston Matthews may be seeking a deal in the 3-5 year range and likely between $13M and $14M. it has also been reported that he will likely not sign until Nylander signs. The issue here, according to Elliotte Friedman, is that Nylander is not going to sign for less if no one else is. With both Matthews and Nylander waiting for the other to sign so they can renegotiate their asking price, the Leafs are caught between a rock and a hard place.
With neither of them willing to sign before the other, it may be months until we have a resolution to one or both of their extensions. The longer this drags out, particularly for Nylander, the less likely he is to be a Leaf at the beginning of the season as he and the Leafs are at least $2M apart on AAV with neither set to give in anytime soon.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 11 | 479 ANSWERS Leafs in a tough spot as neither Matthews nor Nylander wants to be the first to sign an extension Will William Nylander be a Leaf when the 2023-24 season begins? | ||
| Yes | 141 | 29.4 % |
| No | 338 | 70.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
