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William Nylander

Toronto Maple Leafs Ask For Trade Offers For William Nylander

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With 20 days remaining to sign William Nylander to a contract, the Toronto Maple Leafs have asked teams to indicate what players they would offer for Nylander – as well as what teams would not be willing to trade, according to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada.

Obviously, the team would prefer to lock Nylander up to either a bridge deal or a long-term deal to get him back within their fold, but this is the first sign that Toronto and general manager Kyle Dubas have reached a point that they have to admit that the team is in trouble and their long-term plan of locking up all their restricted free agents isn’t going as planned. Nylander is rumored to be asking for as much as $8MM per season, while the team is much more interested in signing him to a more reasonable $6MM deal. So far neither side is willing to budge and with time starting to run out (he must be signed by Dec. 1 to be eligible to play this season).

If the team truly intends to trade Nylander, they should be able to bring in quite a haul for the 22-year-old goal scorer as he has the potential to be a franchise player for many teams. There have been consistent rumors coming out of both Carolina and Minnesota as Carolina has made it clear they would like a franchise-changing forward and the team has quite a bit of defensive depth, including Justin Faulk as well as younger, cheaper options such as Brett Pesce to include in a package. Minnesota is rumored to have offered defenseman Jared Spurgeon in a package as well. However, with an indication to all teams, the Maple Leafs are willing to make a deal, there could be a much larger contingent of teams willing to make offers to net a player like Nylander.

Latest On William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

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As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare to take on the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at home, there are still two key pieces out of their lineup. First, Auston Matthews, who while back on the ice in some capacity is still several weeks away from a return to game action, and second, William Nylander who appears no closer to a contract resolution with the team. There hasn’t been any public progress between the two sides, and more and more reports and rumors of a possible deal—or at least discussions—with the Carolina Hurricanes are creeping into the news. Insider Darren Dreger was on TSN radio today speaking about the Nylander situation, and while he wouldn’t deny the trade talk completely he certainly threw some cold water on it:

The [trade] interest is there, I’m just not as convinced. And again, credit to both sides, to [agent] Lewis Gross and the Toronto Maple Leafs for maintaining the cloak of secrecy over this. We’ve speculated for months now on what we think is progress, all of that. I think there’s progress. I’d be shocked if Nylander doesn’t sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I would.

As Dreger indicates, almost the entire situation has been speculative from the media’s perspective, other than the confirmed meetings between Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and the Nylander camp in both Switzerland and New York. The two sides have kept the negotiations completely out of the spotlight even as it was frantically turned this way and that to find any scrap of information. Those negotiations must be coming to a head soon though, as Nylander has just three and a half weeks left to hammer out a deal or be deemed ineligible to play at all this season. December 1st is the deadline for restricted free agents to sign, and it is coming quickly.

Still, Dreger does mention that there is plenty of interest around the league and even notes that those visiting Golden Knights have some. It’s easy to understand why, given Nylander’s age and early production. The 22-year old is coming off consecutive 61-point seasons and has shown an ability to possess and carry the puck better than almost any of his contemporaries, making him a prized asset for any team. The Maple Leafs obviously understand that as well as anyone, which makes anything but an eventual contract between the two sides still seem unlikely.

Eastern Notes: Nylander, Elliott, Hedman, Rask

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are running out of time to sign restricted free agent William Nylander and as each day passes, general manager Kyle Dubas may be more and more inclined to look to deal Nylander before they lose him for the season.

In Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada segment, Elliotte Friedman said that if/when the Maple Leafs decide to move Nylander, expect the Carolina Hurricanes to be ready to make a deal.

“When the time does come — if the time does come that Toronto decides they are going to deal [Nylander] — Carolina has made it very clear that they are all in,” said Friedman.

Carolina has a number of key assets that might interest Toronto, including defensemen Justin Faulk and Brett Pesce. Nylander would be another key piece for the Hurricanes to build up their forward core that already includes Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers lost one of their goalies Saturday when Michal Neuvirth was sent back home to Philadelphia for medical reasons. Now, Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that Brian Elliott left practice early today after he collided with teammate Travis Konecny. The injury-prone goalie left holding his head, but there is no update, nor is it known if he can play in Monday’s game against Arizona. If not, Calvin Pickard will fill in for him and the team may have to recall Alex Lyon from Lehigh Valley of the AHL. The 33-year-old Elliott has been adequate at best so far in 10 appearances this year. He has a 3.10 GAA and an .893 save percentage.
  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) reports that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach said defenseman Victor Hedman, who has been out since Oct. 26 when he collided with Vegas’ Ryan Reaves will be out on Tuesday, but could be ready to return later this week.
  • With lots of mailbag questions about Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, NBC Sports Joe Hagerty writes that he doubts the team would be able to trade the struggling Rask in any upcoming deal. The 31-year-old Rask, who has been outplayed by free agent Jaroslav Halak so far this season, has a 3.15 GAA and a .902 save percentage in six appearances. However, his contract ($7MM AAV for two more years after this one), but more particularly his no-trade clause will prevent Boston from moving him. While many teams might want to give Rask a new opportunity, Haggerty writes he doesn’t believe that Rask has any interest in leaving Boston and wouldn’t be willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Snapshots: “Trade Bait”, Lindholm, Spezza

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The second month of the NHL season is underway and with it comes the first iteration of TSN’s “Trade Bait” board. To no surprise, unsigned Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander tops the list. With the countdown at 28 days until the December 1st deadline for Nylander to sign and play in the NHL this season, the impasse between the two sides is desperately in need of a resolution, and with each day that goes by, a trade looks more and more likely. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes that it was the first week of November last year when No. 1-ranked trade bait player Matt Duchene was traded away, making it entirely possible that a Nylander trade or other big name move could drop in the next few days. Joining Nylander in the top six of the list are recent rumor mill highlights Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers and Alec Martinez and Tanner Pearson of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as summer trade bait board holdout Mats Zuccarello, also of the Rangers, and perennial rumor monger Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings. Both free agency-bound Columbus Blue Jackets superstars – Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin – feature in the top ten, as does a possible Nylander return piece Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes. A surprise addition is Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers, who seems unlikely to move in the midst of what the Jets hope is a Stanley Cup-caliber season. So too is Wayne Simmonds, who the Philadelphia Flyers seemingly would like to re-sign and keep on as a leader and core contributor, but the Flyers’ success this season will likely determine his availability. The trade board is limited to just 15 names right now, but this initial list certainly features plenty of talent and some names that have already featured prominently in rumors. TSN may have perfect timing, as the NHL trade market seems ready to heat up.

  • One of the off-season’s biggest trades almost went differently, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. Fox talked to new Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters recently, who stated that he expected a different package from a different team entirely in return for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, only to find that his former club, the Carolina Hurricanes, had offered the top package of Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. Peters (obviously) says that he likes the way the deal turned out. While Hanifin is off to a slow start in Calgary, Lindholm has been an excellent fit next to Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the top line and currently sports a 24.3% shooting percentage to go with a team-leading nine goals and total of 14 points.
  • Fox also recently spoke with Dallas Stars center Jason Spezza, who this past week played in his 1,000th NHL game, about how he is approaching a contract year. Spezza was transparent with his answer:

“Not when you’re 35. You don’t care about the contract years… I just want to play the year, have a good year. I want to be back here next year. The money doesn’t matter. I just want to play and make sure I have a good role… It’s different when you’re at this point in my career. I just want to be on a team that has a chance to win. So, no, I can’t say that’s once played into my mind… That time has passed in my career. I’m just looking to play and be on a good team and have a good role and contribute… If you put the work into it, you get rewarded with big contracts. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever played the game for the money.”

Spezza’s honesty is refreshing, but he also contradicts himself with a scenario that is likely to unfold as the season progresses. Spezza states that he wants to be back in Dallas next season, yet also wants a chance to finally win the Stanley Cup. Those two things may not coincide soon enough for the veteran center. The Stars currently share the 14th-best record in the NHL, but sit sixth out of seven in the powerhouse Central Division and have struggled to score goals early on this season. If Dallas cannot improve over the course of the season, Spezza will become an attractive trade rental candidate, especially since his eight points thus far indicate a bounce-back season compared to a disappointing 2017-18 campaign. Dallas may also be a few years away from really competing with the likes of Nashville and Winnipeg in the Central. A desire to win may make a continued career with the Stars less likely, but would make Spezza’s decision to waive his No-Movement Clause and choices in free agency much easier.

Snapshots: Hurricanes, Nylander, Voynov, Global Series

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The Carolina Hurricanes have three scouts in attendance tonight at the Dallas Stars-Toronto Maple Leafs game and, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, that is not just a fluke. Per Friedman, for the one team to have that many scouts in attendance on a night with 26 teams in action, there has to be a reason. Unless the Hurricanes and Stars have a deal on the table that no one has heard about quite yet, the implication would be that Carolina continues to be in hot pursuit of young forward William Nylander. Yet, Nylander is not in the Toronto lineup tonight, as he remains unsigned as a restricted free agent. Why then would the Hurricanes still be out scouting the Maple Leafs? Friedman suggests that a possible Nylander deal, which looks more and more realistic with each day, could be of a much greater magnitude than a one-for-one swap. While many have suggested that a relatively simple exchange centered around Nylander and ’Canes defenseman Justin Faulk would make sense for both sides, it would seem to leave Toronto a little shortchanged. As such, if Carolina is watching other Maple Leafs, it would seem to indicate that the package from their side is quite larger than just one veteran defenseman. At the end of the day, there very well may never be a Nylander trade. However, the clues are building toward what could be a Toronto-Carolina blockbuster.

  • The opposite of mysterious trade dealings? How about a team outright stating they have no interest in acquiring a player. That is what the Arizona Coyotes did today, with The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reporting that the team has absolutely no interest in adding free agent defenseman Slava Voynov. Voynov, 28, has been out of the NHL for four years, but today applied for reinstatement. An interested team would have to trade for his rights from the Los Angeles Kings, but dealing with a division rival is likely not what is holding the Coyotes back. Voynov’s troubled past would mean bad PR for any team he ends up with and Arizona is simply opting not to expose themselves to that onslaught. There will no doubt be interest in the talented blue liner, just not from the Coyotes.
  • With NHL currently overseas as the Global Series takes place with games in Finland between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers, commissioner Gary Bettman took the opportunity to hint at what the future of the league’s action abroad could be. NHL.com’s Brian Compton writes that Bettman is currently working toward having preseason games in Germany and Switzerland again next year, while also planning for a season-opening series in Prague, Czech Republic and a later series in Stockholm, Sweden. He also states that the league has interest in returning to Finland in the near future as well. To date, the league has played 31 games overseas and has enjoyed success with growing the game on an international scale. The Global Series seems like a venture by the NHL with no shortage of opportunities and a excellent longevity.

Latest On William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without one of the league’s brightest young stars for at least a month, as Auston Matthews has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. Immediately speculation returned about restricted free agent William Nylander, who could now be more important than ever for the Maple Leafs as they try to stay relevant without Matthews in the lineup. Today though, Darren Dreger was on TSN radio and explained that as of the weekend there was still a “pretty wide gap” between the Maple Leafs and Nylander’s camp.

There have been in-person meetings between Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and both Nylander and his agent Lewis Gross over the last few weeks, and things had apparently gone relatively positively. Several reports surfaced that the two sides were having ongoing dialogue, but nothing has materialized to this point. With just a few days remaining in October, we’re just over a month away from the December 1st deadline that would stop Nylander from playing at all this season. Even with Matthews’ return that would be a worst-case outcome for both sides, given their early season success and belief that they can compete for the Stanley Cup.

The final restricted free agent this season, Nylander is looking for a long-term deal if possible that would buy out several UFA seasons. That would require the cap hit to be substantial, something the Maple Leafs need to be careful of given the other contract they’ll need to sign soon. Speculation about a potential trade continues, with Dreger saying that the team “at least has to consider it” before long. Toronto has given absolutely no indication that they would be willing to trade their young forward, but there is certainly interest around the league.

Interestingly, the Maple Leafs are not planning on recalling another forward as of right now, leaving them with just 12 healthy bodies up front. Adding Nylander in would get them back to 13 forwards, but nothing seems imminent unless there has been a change recently. The Maple Leafs are at home this entire week, and will travel to Pittsburgh for Saturday night.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto’s Auston Matthews Suffers Shoulder Injury

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Sunday: Head coach Mike Babcock said that Matthews will be re-evaluated on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. However, Babcock did admit that Matthews will not practice Sunday or play in Monday’s game against Calgary.

“He’s not ready right away for sure,” Babcock said.

Saturday: The Toronto Maple Leafs got some bad news as star Auston Matthews suffered a shoulder injury during the second period of their game against the Winnipeg Jets Saturday. The center took a big hit (video here) from Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba and skated off in pain, immediately exiting the game. It didn’t take long before the team announced that he will not return to the game. This marks the third shoulder injury in his career.

Any significant injury would be devastating for both Matthews and the team. The 21-year-old Matthews is having the best start of his career, posting 10 goals and 16 points in the team’s first 10 games (not including this one), but he missed 20 games due to injury last year (including a second-degree shoulder separation injury) and the Maple Leafs would like to avoid another long stretch of games without their star center. Matthews also suffered a significant shoulder injury in juniors. Any injury would likely push John Tavares into an even bigger role for the team as well as promote Nazem Kadri to the team’s second line.

If Matthews does miss time, it could be a way for restricted free agent William Nylander to get that extra leverage and force the team to hand him a contract closer to the $8MM pricetag that he’s asking for. The two sides have been far apart in contract negotiations as time is starting to run out. A significant injury could force Toronto to add some money to the deal to get him into their lineup as quick as possible to keep their offense rolling.

Toronto’s Kyle Dubas Meets With William Nylander’s Agent In New York

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In the final restricted free agent negotiation in the NHL this season, there has been little to report for some time. The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander have been quiet in their negotiations, save for a face to face meeting between the young forward and GM Kyle Dubas in Switzerland recently. When the Maple Leafs GM was spotted at a recent New York Rangers-Calgary Flames game in New York, rumors exploded that he may be discussing a trade. Instead, he was in the city to speak personally to Nylander’s agent Lewis Gross, meetings that have kept the dialogue “open” according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Nylander meanwhile had been practicing in Austria with a professional team trying to stay sharp, but was not with them today according to former player Carlo Colaiacovo and Darren Dreger of TSN. While that absolutely does not guarantee a contract is imminent, it’s all that Maple Leafs fans have to go on given the relative silence surrounding the negotiation.

These talks continue as the Maple Leafs have hit a rough patch on the season. Without Nylander in the lineup, teams have begun to figure out how to stop Auston Matthews at even strength and take advantage of their defensive group. That’s resulted in just one goal from Toronto over their past two games, and two losses at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. Nylander’s game is a possession one, and ends up helping the Maple Leafs at both ends of the rink given his ability to protect the puck and create offense.

There’s reason to believe that a contract is coming soon, if only because of the deadline of December 1st that is fast approaching. If Nylander does not sign by that date he will be ineligible to play at all this season, something that does not benefit either side. As James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) wrote recently, it is starting to look like the eventual contract will have to be a bridge deal, but how long and for how much is still up in the air. For now, Dubas and Gross will have to keep working towards a solution that fits both parties, or risk losing out on an entire season of earning potential and NHL experience.

Bridge Contract Likely For William Nylander

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While the mutual preference of both the Maple Leafs and winger William Nylander would be to get a long-term deal done, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that this no longer appears to be an option.  He notes that there isn’t an AAV that is high enough for Nylander’s liking that fits in with Toronto’s salary structure for 2019-20 and beyond.

With that in mind, the Leafs are basically down to two options – either sign him to a bridge contract or trade him and by all accounts, the latter route is something they have no interest in going at this point nor has Nylander requested a move.

Accordingly, the bigger question now is how long the bridge deal will be.  Although the 22-year-old has gone through his entry-level contract, only two of those seasons qualified as counting towards UFA status as he failed to play in 40 games back in 2015-16.  As a result, Nylander is still five years away from being able to become an unrestricted free agent.  That gives Toronto the opportunity of pursuing a three-year bridge pact instead of the standard two while still leaving him with a couple of arbitration-eligible seasons at the end of the deal.  In doing so, they’d also have a much better idea of what they can afford long-term as by then, both winger Mitch Marner and center Auston Matthews will be locked up as well.

As most core players coming off of their entry-level deals sign long-term deals, there aren’t many comparable contracts in recent years to work with.  One that would be close is Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov.  Following two straight seasons of over 60 points (same as Nylander), the Russian inked a three-year, $14.3MM contract.  That took up 6.53% of the salary cap at the time; that percentage of the current cap today would work out to an AAV of just over $5.19MM which would seemingly represent the ceiling of a Nylander bridge deal.  A contract like that could very well be back-loaded as well to yield a higher qualifying offer at its expiration.

Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has stated on many occasions that he believes that he can keep the core of the team together even after bringing in John Tavares this offseason.  Given the state of where things are, it appears that he’ll have to settle for giving Nylander a short-term deal to make that happen.

West Notes: Brown, Gaudreau, Oilers, Wild Injuries

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It doesn’t appear as if the Kings will be without Dustin Brown for too much longer.  He’s currently on long-term injured reserve as he works his way back from a broken finger and isn’t eligible to be activated until October 28th at the earliest.  While there was some concern he’d be out longer than that, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider notes that the winger has begun taking part in team drills that don’t involve contact and that he could be activated for their game on the 28th.  The 33-year-old is coming off a career year in 2017-18 that saw him collect 61 points and he could be a boon for a Los Angeles power play that has failed to score so far this season.

More from the West:

  • Although Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau was pulled from Wednesday’s game against Boston by concussion spotters, he is feeling fine which should have him in line to play on Friday night versus Nashville, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Francis adds there won’t be any disciplinary action towards Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who delivered the hit on Gaudreau.
  • While there are teams that are keeping tabs on the potential availability of Toronto RFA William Nylander, don’t count the Oilers among that group. TSN’s Darren Dreger noted in an appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link) that Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli is not pursuing the winger although they could certainly benefit from some extra scoring pop up front.  However, given their limited cap room, finding a deal that would keep them under the Upper Limit would be tricky.
  • The Wild will be without center Matt Hendricks for the next two-to-three weeks, head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters, including Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). The injury was sustained on Tuesday night against Arizona.  Meanwhile, center Joel Eriksson Ek has been ruled out for their next two games while Boudreau is hopeful that winger Marcus Foligno (illness) will be able to travel with the team to Dallas for their game on Friday.

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