William Nylander and the Maple Leafs going down the trade route?
For 6 years, a large segment of the Leafs' fanbase have been screaming "trade Nylander!" The smooth-skating Swede has been as polarizing a player as can be since signing a 6-year, $45 million contract after holding out until the last possible minute. With that contract set to expire a year from today, it's possible that we've seen the last of number 88 in the blue and white.
As of today, Nylander's modified no trade clause has kicked in. Per the NHL's no-trade list rules, a player must submit their list within 48 hours of their team requesting it. Today, Nylander submitted his list. Leafs GM Brad Treliving has been working hard towards an extension, but it seems that with the team and the player still not close, the Leafs may be exploring the trade market.
Treliving has been down this road before with Johnny Gaudreau and lost him in free agency. It's no coincidence that with Nylander and Gaudreau sharing the same agent in Lewis Gross, Treliving isn't letting it happen again.
If Nylander is indeed traded, the return will be huge. He's a 40 goal scorer with a year left on a bargain contract. With one trade, Treliving has a chance to reshape the team in his image. This could be the end of the Core 4 era in Toronto as we know it. Only time will tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing for the team.
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