William Nylander reveals that he's in no rush to get a deal done, but wants to remain in Toronto
As we approach September and with it, training camp, the Leafs still do not have extensions in place for either of Auston Matthews nor William Nylander. These two sets of negotiations have been the predominant story in Toronto all summer long and while there have been some reports suggesting that the Matthews deal may already be done in principle, nothing has been made official on paper just yet.
Nobody seems overly panicked about Matthews. All indications have been that he will sign, but that his announcement may not come until after Nylander has signed his extension to avoid any last minute pivots by the Nylander camp after the Swedish winger out-produced Matthews last season. Nylander, on the other hand, has been the subject of much criticism this summer and some have even called for him to be traded if not signed by training camp. Both players have 1 year left on their current deals.
While the pressure from the fanbase has been high to get both players locked up to new deals before the new season gets under way, neither the Leafs organization nor either player seems to be overly concerned. Both Matthews and Nylander had stated earlier this summer that they both want to remain in Toronto and GM Brad Treliving has very openly declared his intent to have both back next season and extended for the foreseeable future.
It's been some time since we have heard Matthews speak, but Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek had the opportunity to sit down with Nylander this week. While the full interview has not yet been released, Nylander sent a very clear message to the fans through Marek and Friedman. He doesn't want to play anywhere other than in Toronto and there's "lots of time" to get a deal done.
Nylander produced a career best 40 goals, 47 assists and 87 points last season, and has reportedly submitted an ask of $10M+ per season to the Leafs to open negotiations - a number that he has reportedly stood firm at. Meanwhile, the Leafs are believed to have offered somewhere in the $8M-$9M range. Both sides appear to favour an 8-year term, but nothing is set in stone yet.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 23 | 377 ANSWERS William Nylander reveals that he's in no rush to get a deal done, but wants to remain in Toronto What do you think the most likely outcome is for William Nylander? | ||
| He signs before camp | 53 | 14.1 % |
| He signs before or during the season | 111 | 29.4 % |
| He signs next year | 49 | 13 % |
| He ends up being traded/walks as a UFA | 164 | 43.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
