With the return the Jets got for Dubois, the Leafs really need to consider moving Nylander
It's been a busy Tuesday with the NHL Entry Draft just a day away. The Philadelphia Flyers finally moved on from Kevin Hayes by sending him to the St.Louis Blues and the Montreal Canadiens traded picks 31 and 37 to the Colorado Avalanche for the rights to Alex Newhook.
Before either of those trade broke, the Los Angeles Kings and the Winnipeg Jets were closing in on a deal that would send Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Kings for a package of a 2024 2nd round pick, F Gabe Vilardi, F Rasmus Kupari and F Alex Iafallo.
William Nylander rumours have been circulating quite a bit over the last 24-48 hours and if there was ever a time to deal the 27-year-old Swede, it might be now - or at least before the first day of the draft is complete. In theory, the Kings are trading former first round picks in both Vilardi and Kupari and a decent top-9 option in Iafallo for Dubois who has been unhappy in both Columbus and Winnipeg to date.
The former 3rd overall pick from the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has 129 goals and 302 points across 6 seasons in 434 games. He has topped 60 points 3 times and in back to back seasons with the Jets. He was traded in 2020-21 to the Jets in exchange of Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic after being very unhappy with the situation in Columbus.
Nylander, on the other hand, has 177 goals and 430 points in 521 games across 8 seasons. He hit 61 points in back to back seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and then most recently has hit the 80-point mark in the last 2 seasons, including 40 goals and 87 points in 2022-23.
Dubois might hold a little more value considering he only just turned 25 a few days ago and plays a premium position, whereas Nylander is 27 and looking to maximize on his next contract that could see him earn anywhere between $8.5 milliom and $10 million per season.
Nylander has provided more offensive output and there are several teams looking for a top-line scoring winger to either push them over the edge or into contention after a few years of basement-living. Their expected goals above replacement - for example - over the last two seasons is staggering with Nylander at 34.9 and Dubois at 18.9. Food for thought as the Leafs' trade talks have intensified over the last 48 hours.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 27 | 822 ANSWERS With the return the Jets got for Dubois, the Leafs really need to consider moving Nylander Would a William Nylander trade net the Leafs more than or less than Winnipeg got for Pierre-Luc Dubois? | ||
| More, definitely | 408 | 49.6 % |
| Probably less | 98 | 11.9 % |
| About the same | 164 | 20 % |
| Just keep Nylander. He's too good to trade | 152 | 18.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
