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William Nylander

Latest From Insider Trading: Dubas, Treliving, Maple Leafs Core Four, Carbery

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In the most recent edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, some of the top insiders from around the NHL got together to speak on some of the news from behind the scenes. With most teams already shifting into offseason mode, and coaches and general managers being hired, fired and agreeing to part ways, there is all kinds of tidbits of information to chew on. First, Chris Johnston reports even though former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said a week ago that he would return to the Maple Leafs or take time off this upcoming season, his mind may have shifted already. Johnston mentions that Dubas made those comments when he was still in negotiations with the Maple Leafs on a potential contract extension, but now he is essentially a free agent and can ponder about new horizons. The Maple Leafs essentially moved on from Dubas since his press conference and he has been granted permission to meet with the Pittsburgh Penguins about their vacant GM position.

  • With Dubas gone from Toronto, the Maple Leafs are in need of a new voice as their GM. Darren Dreger reports the team values experience above all in their search. Dreger says he believes the Maple Leafs have already reached out to former Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving and he does not expect the team to cast as wide a net as the Flames did in their recent GM hunt meaning this could be done rather quickly.
  • Johnston added that while there have been plenty of rumours around Toronto about major changes, that won’t necessarily be the case. Johnston reports that Brendan Shanahan, president of the Maple Leafs, reached out to the Leafs top four forwards (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares) when he made the decision to move on from Dubas and Shanahan gave those players the impression none of them would be leaving Toronto this offseason. Matthews and Nylander are both entering the final year of their contracts and could be unrestricted free agents a year from now.
  • Pierre LeBrun adds the Maple Leafs could be losing more off-ice personnel, even if the core players remain. He reports that assistant coach Spencer Carbery is a hot commodity on the coaching market right now. Carbery has already met with the Washington Capitals who are looking for a new head coach, and has drawn interest from the Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers as well.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Senators, Caufield

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While Maple Leafs winger William Nylander was expected to play for Sweden at the World Championship, Dagens Nyheter’s Malin Fransson reports that this is no longer the case.  Instead, the Swedish Federation has opted to lock in its roster as is.  The team has registered 21 skaters for the tournament, one below the maximum of 22.  That slot will now be held free for a possible injury replacement over trying to bring Nylander in during round-robin play, a move that would have given them a big boost.  The tourney will come to an end next Sunday.

More from the Atlantic:

  • A pair of former NHLers have gotten in on the bidding for the Senators. In an interview with Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, former Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey indicated that he along with Anson Carter and Grant Fuhr are all part of the bid led by Neko Sparks.  A total of four groups put forth a bid for the franchise with Garrioch suggesting that bids led by Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer and the Kimels, who once were partners in the Penguins, might be the ones that the NHL has at the top of their preferred list.
  • Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette wonders if Canadiens winger Cole Caufield might prefer to sign a bridge deal this summer and then try to cash in on a richer long-term agreement a couple of years down the road. The 22-year-old tied for the Montreal lead in goals this season with 26 despite missing 36 games due to shoulder surgery.  Caufield will be a restricted free agent this summer but only has 123 career regular season appearances under his belt so if he thinks he can get a 40-goal campaign under his belt in the next couple of years, taking a bridge agreement might be better off financially for him in the long run.

Maple Leafs Notes: Marner, Matthews, Carbery

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Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic wrote today that he believes that if Kyle Dubas is retained as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager he will shop star forward Mitch Marner. LeBrun cites Dubas proactively bringing up the Matthew Tkachuk trade in his press conference as a sign that the young Maple Leafs GM is ready to make radical changes to shake up Toronto’s core and he sees Florida’s bold move as a template from which to work from.

LeBrun also goes on to add that he believes Marner is the easiest trade to make from a contractual standpoint. Marner has two years left on his current contract and will not have any no trade protection, while William Nylander and Auston Matthews will receive no trade clauses on July 1st and John Tavares already has a full no move clause. The Maple Leafs could shop Marner to all 31 other teams and drive up a bidding war for the 26-year-old. LeBrun ends his article by stating that should the Leafs trade Marner that they would need a top pairing defenseman in return at a minimum.

In other Maple Leafs notes:

  • Pierre LeBrun is of the opinion that any Auston Matthews trade is likely not going to happen as he believes the Maple Leafs will instead focus on extending Matthews when he becomes eligible to sign his next contract on July 1st. LeBrun adds that replacing Matthews would be nearly impossible for Toronto to do and given Matthews track record one would have to agree with him. The five-time 40+ goal scorer struggled at times this season, but still managed to put up 85 points in 74 games. One thing that could be a sticking point is the cap hit that Matthews will be looking for on his next long-term deal.
  • Pierre LeBrun also discussed Toronto assistant coach Spencer Carbery saying that he believes Carbery’s old team the Washington Capitals have already asked the Toronto Maple Leafs for permission to interview him about their vacant head coaching position. Neither Washington nor Toronto would confirm LeBrun’s hunch that the Capitals are looking to have a reunion with the one-time head coach of their AHL affiliate. Washington have also looked at Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern as a candidate.

William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren Reportedly Joining Sweden At Worlds

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According to a report from Swedish outlet Sportbladet, a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winger William Nylander and defenseman Timothy Liljegren are joining the Swedish squad, while Sweden has reportedly sent defensemen Joel Persson and Christian Folin home from the tournament to create room on the roster.

After a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, Nylander and Liljegren are now set to bring their skills and experience to the international stage. The news bolsters a Swedish contingent that’s yet to lose through three games at the tournament, although they’ve struggled to produce offense outside of a 5-0 win against Austria.

Nylander should help with those scoring woes, coming off the first 40-goal season of his NHL career. He’s been money in the bank for Sweden at this tournament, recording 15 goals and 37 points in just 21 World Championship appearances across three tournaments (2017, 2019, 2022). It’s a significant boon to a Swedish team that has scored just three goals in two games against Germany and Finland, including a shootout marker.

Joining him is Liljegren, who’s made significant strides in his all-around ability since the last time he represented Sweden internationally at the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship. One of the more intriguing young two-way defenders in the sport, Liljegren now gets a chance to add an additional spark to a Sweden defensive corps that’s excelled thus far at the tournament, one that includes former teammate and defense partner Rasmus Sandin.

Neither Persson nor Folin had suited up yet for Sweden in the tournament. While they’re both capable contributors to the Swedish lineup, and both have NHL experience, the swap for Nylander and Liljegren is a significant upgrade to a Swedish team with hopes of capturing the gold medal at this tournament.

Sweden can make it four games without a loss when they take on Hungary on Thursday.

Pittsburgh Penguins Place Ryan Poehling On LTIR, Recall Alex Nylander

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The Pittsburgh Penguins today placed forward Ryan Poehling on long-term injured reserve and used an emergency recall on forward Alex Nylander, per a team release.

Poehling’s LTIR placement is retroactive to February 14, meaning he’s eligible to be activated as soon as tomorrow. The 24-year-old forward has missed the past 10 games with a lingering upper-body injury.

Nylander, the eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft and the younger brother of William Nylander, earns his first recall as a member of the Penguins organization. Acquired in a one-for-one swap for Sam Lafferty with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, Nylander is amidst a breakout season in the AHL with 25 goals and 50 points in 54 games.

While he won’t reach the ceiling of a top-ten draft pick, his steady offensive increase in the minors over the past few years suggests Nylander can carve out a consistent NHL role for himself shortly. It wasn’t long ago that he produced decent numbers in a full-time opportunity with Chicago, recording 26 points in 65 games in 2019-20 before a knee injury held him out of the 2020-21 season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Schenn, Thompson

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux taking home the top spot. The veteran scored four goals and seven points in three games, taking him to 19 and 47 on the year. Giroux is now 30 points shy of 1,000 for his career, and is scoring at nearly a point-per-game rate with the Senators, even at age 35.

It was an Atlantic Division sweep this week, as William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning took home second and third place respectively. Nylander continues to play at a different level for Toronto this year, scoring 28 goals and 59 points in 51 games. Vasilevskiy allowed just six goals on 102 shots across three games, winning them all. After leading the league in wins for five-straight seasons, Vasilevskiy has now closed the gap and trails Linus Ullmark by just two.

  • Luke Schenn has emerged as one of the most talked-about trade deadline chips, thanks to his low salary, Stanley Cup experience, and physicality. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff takes a deep dive into Schenn’s market, suggesting clubs like Boston, Minnesota, Calgary, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Vegas could all benefit from adding the veteran defenseman.
  • Tage Thompson is listed as day-to-day for the Buffalo Sabres, with head coach Don Granato telling reporters including Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News that the star forward has been dealing with some nagging injuries. Granato does expect Thompson to be on the ice tomorrow and isn’t ruling him out for Wednesday’s game. What that means for his All-Star appearance isn’t clear, as it would provide a good chance for him to recover, if still bothered by injury later this week.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Hockey Canada, Jiricek

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with an unlikely name leading the way. Charlie Lindgren, who stepped into a starting role for the Washington Capitals with Darcy Kuemper injured, went 4-0 with a .949 save percentage. The veteran netminder allowed two or fewer goals in all four games and has helped the Capitals claw their way back into the Metropolitan Division race. Signed to a three-year deal in the offseason, Lindgren has already nearly set a career-high in appearances for a single season.

Because of that outstanding performance, Tage Thompson’s five-goal game was good enough for only second place. The Buffalo Sabres forward had seven points, though six of those came in one outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game that saw him play a season-low 13:56 after it got out of hand early. Thompson now has 21 goals and 41 points in 28 games so far this year. The third star went to Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who had his own five-point effort over the weekend, taking him over a point-per-game pace on the year. The 26-year-old winger is averaging the most ice time of his career and is on pace to set career highs in basically every offensive category.

  • Hockey Canada has released its nominees for a new board of directors, a group that will serve on a one-year term if confirmed by a member vote on Saturday. Among those nominated is Cassie Campbell-Pascall, a familiar name for hockey fans both for her days as a player and broadcaster. Campbell-Pascall captained Team Canada to Olympic gold twice, and won six World Championship gold medals over her decorated playing career.
  • David Jiricek will be loaned to the World Juniors by the Columbus Blue Jackets to play for Czechia at the upcoming event, joining several other top prospects headed to the event. The sixth-overall pick from 2022 made his NHL debut and played two games for the Blue Jackets earlier this year. A force in the minor leagues, the 6’3″ defenseman has 13 points in 15 games for the Cleveland Monsters.

Evening Notes: Nylander, Maple Leafs Injuries, Sillinger

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans figure to have a tense few months throughout the 2023-24 NHL calendar, as superstar Auston Matthews will be eligible for an extension, and should he choose not to pursue one in Toronto, could head to the UFA market. But, even if Matthews were to re-sign, the UFA worry wouldn’t stop there, as William Nylander is also set to hit the market in the summer of 2024. It doesn’t feel like too long ago when Nylander held out as an RFA, ultimately signing a six-year, $45MM deal at the last minute on December 1st of 2018, but that long-term deal is now more than halfway complete.

Recently, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel had a chance to sit down with Nylander to discuss his future. When asked about the possibility of an extension with the Maple Leafs or testing the free agent market, Nylander said it wasn’t something he had really thought much of, but added that it would be “unreal to stay,” especially if the team could go on a deep playoff run before then. Looking deeper into an extension, Siegel opines that if Nylander can build upon his 2021-22, where he had 80 points in 81 games, and help Toronto make a deep playoff run, not only does an extension with the Maple Leafs become more likely, but it could push his number to at least $9MM per season. On the other hand, if Toronto is still unable to take the next step in the playoffs, they could opt to move on from Nylander. Of course, there is still plenty of time for Nylander to establish who he is as a talent and two more postseasons before his contract formally expires but, as one of five members of a group of Maple Leafs superstars who may figure to earn a raise from his $6.96MM cap hit, the Maple Leafs could be poised to make an interesting decision either way.

  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, the team lost two of its defenseman in tonight’s preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens before the game was even half over. Veteran Jordie Benn, who signed with Toronto this offseason, suffered an undisclosed injury early on in the first period and left the game. The Maple Leafs have since announced that he will not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Also injured was Carl Dahlstrom, who the team soon after announced would not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Losing the pair puts the Maple Leafs in a tough circumstance early on in a preseason game, left with just four defenseman. At one point, forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Alexander Kerfoot were taking shifts on defense for Toronto.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that, per Columbus Blue Jackets radio host Dylan Tyrer, forward Cole Sillinger skated today in a non-contact sweater after he suffered an upper-body injury on the first day of training camp. Today’s skate was Sillinger’s first since the injury, and no timetable for a more formal return has been disclosed.

Morning Notes: Nylander, Sweden, Dubois

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The Swedish national team is getting a nice boost for the rest of the World Championship, as Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will join for the event. Nylander last appeared at the tournament in 2019, where he scored an incredible 18 points in eight games, two years after being named MVP in his first appearance.

Nylander is coming off his best season in the NHL. In 81 games, he racked up 34 goals and 80 points, both career highs, and was a point-per-game player in the team’s first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite all that, his name continues to surface in trade speculation as the Maple Leafs have been unable to find any semblance of postseason success with this group.

  • There’s going to be an interesting development in Swedish women’s hockey for next season, as the SDHL’s second tier will introduce a pilot program allowing certain body checks. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN details the new rules, which are based on a study that suggests with increased physical play, the players have actually increased their on-ice awareness, resulting in fewer concussions. In international play, body checking continues to be banned in the women’s game.
  • One of the more interesting names to watch at the Worlds right now is Pierre-Luc Dubois, who is playing for Canada despite not having an NHL contract for next season. If his hope was to show off a little bit more before a contract negotiation, it’s going well, as he is tied for the tournament lead with four goals and leads Canada with six points. Dubois, 23, is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer and will be due a qualifying offer of $6MM just for the Jets to retain his rights.

Injury Notes: Muzzin, Nylander, Ladd

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According to Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, defenseman Jake Muzzin is expected to return for Toronto tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers, reports TSN’s Mark Masters. Because goaltender Petr Mrazek has been moved to LTIR after his groin injury last week, Toronto will be able to activate Muzzin without having to make any corresponding salary cap moves. Muzzin went down with an injury on February 21st and has not played since.

In the meantime, Toronto acquired defenseman Mark Giordano from the Seattle Kraken. Adding Muzzin back into the fold along with Giordano would surely give Toronto a very deep defense core and allow Keefe to control Muzzin’s minutes as he works his way back into the lineup.

  • Also on the Maple Leafs, forward William Nylander will not play tonight in Tampa due to illness, as Toronto takes on the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports David Alter of The Leafs Nation. Drawing in for Nylander is Kyle Clifford, who has played in just 17 games this year between Toronto and the St. Louis Blues, having been shuffled between the NHL, AHL, and the Taxi Squad for most of the year. In these times, seeing Nylander scratched due to illness raises concerns of COVID-19, however the illness appears to be unrelated and there have been no reports of Nylander being placed into protocol.
  • After playing yesterday for the first time since February 20th due to injury, Andrew Ladd is out of the lineup tonight for the Arizona Coyotes as they take on the Blues, the team announced. Arizona has listed Ladd as day-to-day, a potentially encouraging sign that the veteran forward will not be out long-term once again. In 43 games this year, Ladd has six goals and three assists, but regardless of injury, the former captain has been a tremendous asset to help mentor many of the young Coyotes players.

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