The William Nylander rumours are getting out of hand
As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for the kickoff of training camp next week, we still do not have an extension in place for William Nylander. While most credible insiders and reporters have suggested that the Leafs are expected to begin the season with Nylander unsigned, one popular rumour site continues to imply that Nylander will, in fact, be traded.
"Eklund" of HockeyBuzz has suggested that all of the Islanders, Canucks and Flames have increased efforts to acquire Nylander from the Leafs. Eklund has tossed around names like Pageau, Hanifin and Mangiapane as potential pieces that may interest the Leafs.
We don't have to try very hard to debunk these claims. If such a move was going to occur, it likely would have occurred at the draft, and if not at the draft, then at least within the first week of free agency. Now that most teams, especially the contending teams, have spent most of their available cap space, such a deal would become much more complex. Money is a lot more difficult to move around at this time of the year.
There's also another factor here to consider. Eklund claims that a number of sources confirmed that the Canucks are indeed pursuing a deal for Nylander. However, the Leafs have been even more tight-lipped since Brad Treliving came in, so it's even more unlikely now that information is being leaked than it was when Kyle Dubas still had charge of the team.
While it's still possible that Nylander is moved either before the season or at some point during the year to avoid losing him for nothing, I'd imagine that it's far more likely that we see Nylander play out the final year of his deal at this point, as some of the more credible reporters have suggested in recent weeks.
| POLL | ||
7 SEPTEMBRE | 265 ANSWERS The William Nylander rumours are getting out of hand Do you believe that Nylander is even on the trading block in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 134 | 50.6 % |
| No | 131 | 49.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
