Leafs new banner missing a key player; is this a sign of an impending offseason trade?
At some point during the Leafs game last night, the arena crew was hard at work putting up new banners as they prepared for game 1 against Tampa Monday night. The sign features the Leafs slogan «Leafs Forever» and the faces of 6 current Leaf players. Those players include Matthews, Marner, Rielly, Brodie and Tavares. The first thing many fans noticed was the absence of William Nylander.
Does this mean that the Leafs don't see him as part of the future with the club? Are the constant offseason trade rumours about to come to fruition? With the playoffs beginning tomorrow, those questions will have to be answered in a couple of months. One thing to note is that Nylander has had a career year and his value has never been higher.
At a reasonable cap hit for another 2 seasons, freeing up the $6.9 million would give the Leafs enough money to keep Mikheyev and extend Sandin, Liljegren and Campbell at reasonable offers as well. The Leafs will have plenty to think about whenever their playoff run ends and moving Nylander with his value as high as it is would allow the Leafs to replenish some draft picks/prospects or add more depth to their lineup.
| POLL | ||
MAI 1 | 1002 ANSWERS Leafs new banner missing a key player; is this a sign of an impending offseason trade? Should the Leafs move William Nylander this summer? | ||
| Absolutely | 235 | 23.5 % |
| I don't know | 84 | 8.4 % |
| No way! | 321 | 32 % |
| Only if the return is right | 362 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
