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William Nylander

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Miller, Athanasiou, Zadina

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While there was an expectation that the Toronto Maple Leafs would even get better once they signed William Nylander to a six-year, $45MM deal, the team hasn’t gotten the production out of their young star so far as many would have hoped. The 22-year-old sat out for the first 59 days of the season holding out, but has struggled so far since returning to the Toronto lineup.

So far the forward has just two assists in seven games and while he is undoubtedly still trying to shake off the rust after such a long layoff, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn (subscription required) writes that Nylander has been the worst player on the ice for the Maple Leafs lately, pointing out his most recent performance against Florida was quite sub-par, including making several mistakes, including missing a wide-open shot from Connor Brown at one point, while never taking a single shot against the Panthers. While the scribe believes that Nylander will eventually turn it around, he believes that Nylander could continue his current trend for a bit more.

  • Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Hub reports that defenseman Kevan Miller will not be cleared until Dec. 27 at the earliest. The blueliner has been out since Nov. 26 after suffering cartilage damage to his larynx. The 31-year-old has only appeared in 11 games this season, but have to hope that Miller will be back within a week. The team does hope that Jake Debrusk will play Sunday.
  • The Detroit Red Wings played without Andreas Athanasiou Saturday and could be without him again on Sunday, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The 24-year old expected to play today, but was ruled out with an upper-body injury and he remains questionable for Sunday. Athanasiou is having a breakout year so far with 11 goals in just 32 games. His career-high is 18.
  • When the Detroit Red Wings allowed Filip Zadina to join the Czech National Team for the World Junior Champsionships, the team was well aware that the move could backfire. The Athletic’s Katie Strang (subscription required) writes there is always concern with injury, diminished returns or the potential that Zadina could return to some of his junior league habits, but the team still felt that playing at the World Juniors could be a huge benefit for Zadina’s development to get him ready for the NHL game. “I think that he knows that he’s not quite ready,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “He’s close, but he has to work on other aspects of his game. When they call him up they don’t want him to come back here. Their whole plan — I can’t speak for them, but I don’t think they want to give him that thrill of getting called up and have that disappointment of getting sent down.”

 

Josh Leivo Traded To Vancouver Canucks

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After the Toronto Maple Leafs finally were able to sign William Nylander, it created a roster crunch for their NHL group. One forward needed to be sent out, and with no obvious waiver-exempt options the front office turned to the trade market to see if they could get a deal. A deal they did get, by sending Josh Leivo to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Carcone.

For Leivo, even though a trade takes him away from the powerful Maple Leafs and to a new, unfamiliar organization, it is probably a welcome result. The 25-year old forward has been battling for years to try and make an impact on Mike Babcock and the Maple Leafs coaching staffs, only to find himself in the press box more than on the ice. Originally selected 86th overall in 2011, Leivo has played just 84 NHL games to this point in his career, spending more than that as a healthy scratch throughout the years. The last time he even had any substantial time in the minor leagues was 2015-16, when he was nearly a point-per-game player for the Toronto Marlies.

In the NHL, Leivo has produced 28 points in those 84 games and too rarely shown that he has the versatility to contribute in a bottom-six role. That’s all he was going to get in Toronto given their other young forward talent, but he never really grew into the type of player that Babcock wanted on his fourth line. Instead, his ice time was extremely limited even when he did get into the lineup, although he was given time on the second powerplay this season.

Vancouver will likely attempt to coax every bit of offensive potential out of Leivo, using his big body and hard, powerful shot to create a mismatch alongside some of their smaller forwards. If they can get any production out of him the deal will be a win for them, given that they only sacrificed an undrafted minor league forward.

Toronto was in a tough spot and was likely heading for a situation where they would lose Leivo or someone else to waivers anyway, so they accepted Carcone to at least get something in return. The 22-year old had a great season in his final year of junior with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, but has had middling results in the AHL so far. That changed early this season with 17 points in his first 20 games, but there is still a long road ahead of the undersized forward if he’s ever to make the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 12/03/18

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Just three games grace the NHL schedule this evening, while the Board of Governors meet to discuss the future of the league. The best matchup may just be the upstart Buffalo Sabres taking on the powerhouse Nashville Predators, in a game that could have implications in each team’s respective division. The Sabres have lost control of the Atlantic after holding top spot for a moment, while the Predators are now tied with the Avalanche atop the Central. While the rest of the league licks their wounds and determines how to approach the upcoming week, we’ll have all the minor moves right here.

  • Speaking of the Predators, the team has sent Anthony Richard back to the minor leagues after he made his debut on the weekend. Nick Bonino is expected to be put back in the lineup after his recent illness, leaving no room for the young Richard to contribute.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Travis Dermott to the AHL in a paper transaction in order to make room for William Nylander, but was recalled again immediately after the Josh Leivo trade. Dermott has established himself as a full-time member of the Maple Leafs’ blue line, and is a big part of what they’re trying to build in Toronto.
  • Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson is on his way back to the Boston Bruins after having been down for only a day himself, and could be back in the lineup tomorrow night. The young Bruins’ forward has split his time this season between Boston and Providence, but is still trying to become the offensive difference-maker that he showed he could be in college.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Conor Garland from the minor leagues after Michael Grabner was moved to injured reserve. Garland has yet to suit up in an NHL game but has a long history of offensive production. An MVP of the QMJHL, the fifth-round pick scored 129 and 128 points in back to back seasons for the Moncton Wildcats.
  • Ilya Kovalchuk has been officially moved to injured reserve with his ankle injury, and will be out for at least a month. The Kings will hope recently added forwards like Brendan Leipsic and Nikita Scherbak can help carry the offensive load while Kovalchuk recovers.

Pacific Notes: Ritchie, Burns, Stastny, Gaudette

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While most of the hockey world had been focused on the contract holdout of William Nylander all season, there were much fewer eyes on the holdout of restricted free agent Nick Ritchie. The 22-year-old wasn’t a big name. After all, the most points he had ever posted was 14 goals and 28 points in 2016-17. Yet hold out he did before eventually signing a three-year bridge deal worth a total of $4.6MM. A small footnote in the restricted free-agent process.

However, Ritchie is starting to get hot as he has scored all four of his goals in the last four games, including a two-goal performance Wednesday against Florida as well as eight points in the last seven games. The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that Ritchie is starting to develop into the player they drafted in the first round (10th overall) in 2014.

Ritchie admits that he has made minor adjustments such as adjusting his footwork and how he handles the puck, but after initially playing in the top six and then getting demoted to the fourth line was a game-changer. The winger says that he worked harder than ever to work his way back to the top-six. It’s working as Anaheim has won four in a row and six of their last seven.

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) writes one of the many issues that the San Jose Sharks are struggling with is the play of veteran defenseman Brent Burns. The 33-year-old blueliner is having a good season statistically with 27 points in 27 games, but hasn’t scored a goal in more than a month and holds a minus-3 plus-minus rating. His general play has been disappointing and that really stood out in the team’s 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators Saturday.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights got good news as injured center Paul Stastny was seen skating during the team’s morning skate, according to SinBin Vegas. Stastny has been skating for several days for about 20-30 minutes, which is the next step in his recovery from a lower-body injury that has held him for most of the season. The 32-year-old has appeared in just three games for the Golden Knights.
  • When the Vancouver Canucks placed Brendan Leipsic on waivers earlier today, many were surprised they didn’t just assign Adam Gaudette to Utica of the AHL instead of potentially losing Leipsic. However, general manager Jim Benning explained that the team prefers to see Gaudette continue his development with the Canucks. “We want to keep him around because he plays centre and because every game he’s showing some good things and gaining more confidence,” Benning said via Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. “We feel he’s helping us.”

Minor Transactions: 12/02/18

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After a busy slate of games yesterday, including a handful of notable upsets, as well as quite a few recalls and reassignments, there are another six games on the docket today and anticipated moves to accompany them. The Ducks and Capitals kick things off with an afternoon matinee, while the Sharks and Canadiens highlight the nighttime lineup as San Jose looks to shake a four-game losing streak. As teams prepare for games today or simply the first full week of December action, keep up with all of the transactions here:

Toronto Maple Leafs Lock Up William Nylander For Six Years

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The long-awaited saga between William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs is finally at an end. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have signed the holdout restricted free agent to a six-year, $45MM deal, according to CapFriendly. Nylander is expected to be on a plane from Stockholm to Toronto within 10 hours.

“We always tried to stay optimistic,” said general manager Kyle Dubas (via TSN’s Kristin Shilton). “We had our process and we have a great staff…it wasn’t really an emotional experience. It’s my duty to the organization to put the organization in the best possible spot with all our economics. We hope to always avoid [a standoff], but it’s a realistic situation.”

The deal has a complicated structure, especially for the first year. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Nylander’s first-year salary is pro-rated at 10MM (6.67MM), plus a $2MM signing bonus, which comes out to net $8.67MM and a $10.2MM AAV. In the remaining years of the deal, Nylander’s AAV is $6.996MM.

Here is a breakdown of the deal (via CapFriendly):

  • 2018-19: $10MM salary + $2MM signing bonus = $10.2 AAV
  • 2019-20: $700K salary + $8.3MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2020-21: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2021-22: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2022-23: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2023-24: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV

For Nylander, it ends a long holdout as Nylander missed out on 59 days of the season, officially signing five minutes before the NHL deadline for him to sign an NHL contract this year. With rumors that Nylander had been holding out for $8MM and trying to force Dubas’ hand in the rookie GM’s first holdout negotiations, Nylander was forced to settle for under $7MM, which is a win for Dubas.

“I think all offers varied. I’m not going to get into where our offers started and where theirs started,” Dubas said. “I’m happy for our team and I’m happy for William. I wish we had been able to get this done before training camp…happy to add William.”

McKenzie also notes that Nylander received a 10-team modified no-trade clause in the final year of the deal as he is not eligible for a no-trade clause for another five years.

The 22-year-old center was considered to be a key piece of Toronto’s young core, but with the team’s salary cap having tightened up over the past two years with signings to major free agents Patrick Marleau and more recently to John Tavares, the team needed to prove that they could extend some of their younger players for discounts or be forced to break apart some of the team. Nylander is only the first of many of their future contract negotiations as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will both be restricted free agents this coming offseason and are expected to get paid even higher than Nylander. The team also have several other key contracts, including Nylander’s on-ice replacement this year in Kasperi Kapanen, who has played well enough to earn himself quite a raise in restricted free agency next season. Andreas Johnsson’s play should also get a boost in pay as a restricted free agent as well. The team also will have to factor in the contract of defenseman Jake Gardiner who will hit unrestricted free agency next season and needs to be locked up.

“I knew people were ready to jam that one down my throat,” Dubas said. “We hope all these guys will be career Leafs. That’s our goal, is to keep it together…We’ve had discussions with [Matthews and Marner’s agents]. We want to avoid a situation where all our players aren’t in training camp. Not [making history] in the way we’d like to [with Nylander deal].”

Despite the long holdout and his $8MM asking price, Nylander fared pretty well. The Maple Leafs had made it clear early in negotiations this summer that they weren’t willing to go past six years at $6MM, so to get an extra $1MM per year is impressive, considering the team’s budget.

TSN’s Darren Dreger  was the first to report the deal.

Latest On William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

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It’s hard to get through a day of hockey radio right now without hearing multiple takes on the ongoing negotiations between William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with just over 48 hours left before the December 1st deadline, there should be a conclusion of some sort very soon. The last unsigned restricted free agent must be under contract with an NHL team before 4pm on Saturday or will be forced to sit out the entire season, something that neither side can possibly hope for at this point. Still, there has been little reported about an impending deal between the two sides since Chris Johnston of Sportsnet told viewers of Hockey Night In Canada that they were “believed to be rather close” to a deal that could pay Nylander around $6.9MM on a long-term deal.

Today, with nothing bubbling up about an imminent contract, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Toronto has circled back with interested teams and instructed them to submit a sort of final trade offer. That due diligence is required in a situation like this, in which Toronto could be left holding a valuable asset as the clock strikes a figurative midnight on Saturday. It certainly doesn’t mean that Nylander will be traded in the next two days, but does perhaps lend credence to the idea that there will be a conclusion one way or the other.

For his part, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes that whether or not a trade or contract happens in the next few days, Nylander will not play for the Maple Leafs after the 2017-18 season, instead being traded by the draft even if he is under contract. It is important to remember that Nylander cannot be given a no-trade clause in negotiations until his free agent years, which would prevent him from forcing the Maple Leafs into corner over the next few months. Regardless of the length of the contract signed, the team could decide to move on from him at any point over the next several years.

That’s not what the Maple Leafs are planning on doing however, if you believe head coach Mike Babcock. Today, speaking to reporters including Johnston, Babcock explained that the organization believes Nylander will be with the club for a long time:

We think Willy’s going to be here and we think Willy’s going to be here a long time. We think Willy’s going to be a career Leaf.

According to Kristen Shilton of TSN, Babcock told people looking from the outside of the negotiations to not “confuse opinion with fact,” once again reminding many that there is little known about the actual inner workings of the dialogue. The Maple Leafs have never publicly shamed Nylander for his current position, and in fact he’s gotten quite a bit of support from his teammates over the first quarter of the season. The team obviously wants him back playing, but at this point nothing is certain.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Eastern Notes: Nylander, Zuccarello, Weber, Kovar

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With just over a week remaining in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ deadline to sign William Nylander contract this season, many people are voicing their opinions on the impasse. Among them is Don Cherry, who chimed in on the contract negotiations Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. The former coach said that Nylander isn’t competing with the contracts of John Tavares or the future deal of Auston Matthews, but Cherry believes he is as good as Mitch Marner and wants to make sure that Marner won’t make more money than him down the road.

“Here’s the deal, it’s not Tavares and it’s not Matthews he’s thinking of, he’s thinking of Marner,” Cherry said. “What happens if he signs a six-year contract and Marner gets another million or million and more? He’s not worried about the other two guys, but he thinks he’s as good as Marner. What he’s worried about is that he signs a contract and Marner signs [for] a couple more million and he’s stuck with the contract.”

Cherry advises Nylander to agree to a bridge deal as he believes that there is no way that Nylander can beat Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, who must prove to the team and the city that he is worthy of the title and isn’t going to give in to him.

“You’re not going to beat Dubas because for Dubas this is his one shot, he can’t give in on this one,” Cherry said.

  • Newsday’s Colin Stephenson writes that the New York Rangers scratched forward Mats Zuccarello Saturday as a precaution, but head coach David Quinn insists that the 31-year-old veteran is fine. He says that he didn’t want to play him in back-to-back games after recently returning from a groin injury. “Two games, back-to-back, so we’re just being cautious,’’ Quinn said, adding that Zuccarello felt fine after Friday’s game and declared himself available for Saturday. But the plan always had been to not play him in both weekend games. “We kind of chose, get him in, play him [Friday], not go back-to-back.’’
  • As had been rumored earlier, John Lu of TSN reports that Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber will make his season debut Tuesday against Carolina, barring a setback, after missing the first half of the season after offseason knee surgery. The team will consider how Weber feels after Monday’s practice, followed by a final assessment by team doctors. Weber hasn’t played in a games since Dec. 16, 2017.
  • Despite a report that Jan Kovar has been contemplating a return to Europe after failing to make the New York Islanders and finally agreeing to a PTO with the Providence Bruins, the 28-year-old has decided to stay with the AHL team for now, according to the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver. The scribe writes that Kovar took some time off to evaluate his options and returned to Providence for Saturday’s game against Lehigh Valley. Kovar has four goals and nine points in 10 games while with Providence, but no NHL team has come forward with an NHL contract.

Poll: How Will The William Nylander Saga End?

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Toronto Maple Leafs fans were abuzz this morning as reports seemingly came out of every corner of the hockey world concerning William Nylander’s imminent signing. There were those who had apparently spoken directly to Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, and others who just put out unconfirmed rumors that they’d heard. Venerable insider Bob McKenzie of TSN quickly threw some cold water—perhaps a whole ocean’s worth—on those rumors, explaining that nothing in fact was imminent though negotiations continue between the two sides.

So now just one week remains before a December 1st deadline which would make Nylander ineligible to play anywhere in the NHL this season. The Maple Leafs do still have time to get a deal done with their young restricted free agent, and head coach Mike Babcock certainly seemed optimistic when asked today by reporters including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet:

I’m confident, hopeful. I mean Willy loves hockey. I know Willy good—he’s a great teammate and good person—and he loves hockey. He wants to play that.

But if there is still work to be done on a long-term contract, time is running out quickly. McKenzie suggests that there are two prevailing options, either signing a three-year bridge deal near $5MM per season, or a six-year deal near $7MM. Those are the kinds of numbers that have been speculated on over and over for the past few months, with no real information leaking out of either side. It seems no one really knows where the Maple Leafs and Nylander stand in negotiations, and in fact there are two (or even three) other options that the team could decide to use.

One is to trade Nylander in the next few days, though as it gets closer to the deadline that seems even more unlikely. The acquiring team would need to hammer out a contract of their own with the RFA, and as CapFriendly has explained it would likely come with an increased cap hit this season. That’s a tough thing for most teams to fit in right now, and they would be under a time crunch of their own. Still, if the Maple Leafs want to cash in on their asset for this season that might be the best way to do it if they can’t get a deal done.

The other option would be to stand their ground and just let the December 1st deadline to come and go. Nylander would be ineligible to play this season but he would gain little leverage in any negotiation for the future, and the Maple Leafs could potentially flip him at a later date. A non-playoff team might want to get him into their system even if he can’t play this season, and work under no deadlines to get him under contract.

It’s still not clear at all what will happen in Toronto, but as the Maple Leafs prepare to face the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening we ask you what you think. How will the Nylander saga end, or at least what will be the status of the young forward next weekend?

[Mobile users click here to vote.]

Toronto Willing To Let William Nylander Sit Out Season

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t find a deal that they like, the team is willing to allow restricted free agent holdout William Nylander to sit out the entire season, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston on Hockey Night in Canada.

“If there isn’t a trade that presents itself — and we spoke last week about the fact that they are gauging the market on William Nylander, and William Nylander’s demands don’t come to the range that they’re comfortable paying — they’re comfortable letting this player sit and I think that’s significant with the fact that it’s 13-plus days remaining and tensions only to get a little higher as we get closer to Dec. 1,” Johnston said.

For a team with the potential to win now while they have many players on entry-level deals, that may not be the best course of action. Nylander is a major free agent and the team could use Nylander or the potential returns from a trade, whose situation must be decided on by Dec. 1. With the emergence of Kasperi Kapanen, who also will be a restricted free agent next season, the team may not need Nylander’s offense, but with a struggling defense, the team could use a trade to bring in much needed defensive help for a team attempting to challenge for a Stanley Cup now.

The last player to sit out an entire season due to a contract dispute was Michael Peca when he sat out the 2001-02 season while at a contract impasse with the Buffalo Sabres.

Of course, Toronto may be sending that message out to teams with the hope of increasing offers from other teams who hope to get Nylander at a reduced price as that Dec. 1 deadline nears. If teams believe that Toronto will let him sit, teams may be willing to hand over more assets to get a deal done before the deadline.

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