Brendan Shanahan Jokingly Chirps William Nylander About His $11.5M Cap Hit

Nylander made waves back in January when he signed an 8-year extension with the Maple Leafs, which will effectively have the Stockholm native locked up in Toronto for the entire prime of his NHL career. His $11.5M cap hit is currently 2nd highest on the team behind only Auston Matthews. Of course, that will change if/when Mitch Marner signs his new contract.

During a meet and greet this week with young Grayson, who became a bit of an internet sensation after sporting a wicked Auston Matthews Upper Deck hockey card costume for Halloween, Brendan Shanahan was caught on camera having a conversation with the young fan, asking him about his age. When Grayson, in his full Leafs gear and little glue-on Matthews mustache, told Shanahan that he was just 7 years old, Shanahan implied that in just 11 years, Grayson may very well be in the NHL.

As this was occurring, Nylander walked past with a smile, inviting an interaction with both his boss and the young fan. Very quickly, Shanahan told Grayson that Nylander knows all about the number 11.

So far this season, Nylander has largely lived up to his new contract, having produced a team-leading 8 goals. His 12 points through 12 games has his sitting 2nd in team scoring behind only Mitch Marner, who has 13 points on the season.

There's a lot of runway left this season, and if you had told anyone that at the 12-game mark, Nylander would be outscoring new captain Auston Matthews, I'm not too sure many would have believed you. However, here we are and Nylander is living up to the hype. Though I'm not sure there were many who were nuts about paying another forward $11M+, I don't know if anyone is complaining about the Nylander deal right now, including the Leafs.