While the Toronto Maple Leafs get their season started against the Montreal Canadiens tonight, there is one player conspicuously missing from the lineup. That’s William Nylander, who is still without a contract and now missing regular season games as he holds out for a lucrative long-term deal. The Maple Leafs are moving forward without Nylander on the wing of Auston Matthews, but certainly don’t want to wait very long for one of their young stars to re-enter the lineup.
Still, the Maple Leafs know they can’t give in to demands and pay Nylander an exceptional amount of money. Toronto will soon be faced with a very real cap crunch as Matthews and fellow star forward Mitch Marner finish their own entry-level contracts this season, and with John Tavares already locked up for $11MM per season there isn’t a ton of money to go around. It’s Tavares that the team hopes its young forwards take a lesson from according to President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan, who told reporters today including Kristen Shilton of TSN that the club expects their players to want to win hockey games more than earn the absolute most money possible. That’s what Tavares did this summer according to Shanahan, and also what he believes his Stanley Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings teams did when he was still on the ice.
Tavares did indeed leave money on the table to come to Toronto, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports in his excellent recent piece detailing the offseason signing. Friedman writes that the San Jose Sharks were rumored to be willing to offer $13.5MM per season, while the New York Islanders basically had a blank check waiting for Tavares, one that would have been filled out in “McDavid territory.”
While that may have been Shanahan just sharing some honest feelings with the media as he approached the season opener, it also seems as though it is a bit of a negotiation tactic with his unsigned star. The Maple Leafs are forging on ahead without Nylander at the moment, and aren’t willing to put themselves in a tough spot financially by catering to whatever the player is asking for. It’s a tough stance for Toronto fans to appreciate, but it might end up saving them in the end if they plan on keeping their young core together long-term.
That same Detroit Red Wings team would’ve been around 100 million in today’s NHL when adjusted with the salary cap and era. Not a good comparison by Shanny
Don’t you just love it when the guy holding the money starts telling others they shouldn’t be greedy? Is Shanny going to sign his next contract at a discount and provide an example? Don’t hold your breathe for that.
Tavares, Rielly and Kadri all left money on the table for the betterment of the team while Nylander seemingly has a desire to squeeze every last penny he can out of the Leafs. By holding out, he is now negatively affecting the team and I would be perfectly fine with seeing him traded. Preferably for a much needed defensive upgrade.
I wouldn’t say Kadri and to a lesser extent Rielly left money on the table. They both signed contracts before they had their big seasons. Nylander has been way better than Kadri was through the same points in careers and he’s not going to take a discount and then watch Marner and Matthews take over 10 million next year.
It amazes me how many fans like you drink the kool-aid. The employee trying to get maximum value for his services is the bad guy while the greed driven owners will force a lockout rather than make any kind of sacrifice to the bottom line.
And it amazes me how many fans like you can be so ignorant. The player can’t earn maximum value for his services on this team. If Tavares wanted maximum value, he would have had to sign in San Jose but he wanted to be part of this team so he settled for being super rich rather than super, super rich. If Nylander wants to be part of this team, he’s going to have to settle too.
Given the reputation of Nylander’s father who was traded multiple times because of obtuseness, his agent who gives “greed” a bad name, and Nylander’s favourite country being in Europe and not Canada, it’s long overdue to dump this talented player and his selfish demands if over $6M per year for a talented right handed defenceman who wants to play for Toronto.
Tie him to Nathan Horton and just clear a pathway to retaining your other 2 young stars and hope to god Erik Karlsson makes it to UFA
Horton doesn’t really impact their ability to sign guys. He doesn’t go towards the cap and they print money.
Ya but in the offseason its effects the cap. And i would still expect them to get a decent return. Didnt mean dump them for nothing
I don’t believe Hortons contract is insured so you are talking maybe a handful of teams that could take it on and likely none that would need it to meet the cap floor.
FORGET HORTON; THIS IS ABOUT NYLANDER, SO STAY ON POINT.
This is not about about an inconsequential “has-been” player like Horton sucking blood money out of the Leafs reserves, but an allegedly informed discussion about what to do with a major player like Nylander who is not satisfied with an offer to siphon $6,000,000+ per year. The good news that as of today, 3 Oct, it’s at HIS expense as a holdout, costing HIM about $16,400 every 24 hours he sits.
Since it should be team first, individual player second, here’s two ideas to convince Leaf management to give wee Willy a plane ticket to someplace that gets his pink ass outta Dodge where that town doesn’t care about hockey or character, and in return we get a player who wants to be play for TO:
a) Let him him sit and rot if Tyler Ennis and others do well, since Leafs get to keep money for guys that matter.
b) Trade him, maybe with a guy like Gardiner, and get a top 2 right handed defenceman..
I’d rather lose playing hard than win knowing my team consisted of greedy me-first ingrates, who in the case of Nylander,, never saw a check, or a cheque, he liked.
FORGET GARDINER THIS IS ABOUT NYLANDER SO STAY ON POINT
His point is better than yours though. Jake is a much better package option then Horton who isn’t hurting anyone sitting on LTR. Leafs could easily get a Parayko plus prospects/picks for that combo. Add Horton and they get jack
I dont care whos package is better. This guy couldn’t even reply to my own comment to call me out and made a terrible point. Anything that has to do with the Leafs in this IS relevant. So i would say both players are excpey i was just being sarcastic back
Sorry I didn’t reply. I just didn’t know how to respond to someone blowing bubbles.
As I suggested, Nylander is a player who can’t give a check, but loves to get a cheque.
Trade him for a RH defenceman or a power forward who gives a damn.
After 60 years of watching hockey, the Leafs are now built perfectly for the regular season, ………………………….. BUT. NOT THE PLAYOFFS !
If the leafs make a trade and get another guy like Gardiner, you might as well throw the towel in right now. That man couldn’t defend a parking meter
So a team goes out & spends $11mil/yr on a FA.
Team has 3 young players on entry level (or expiring) contracts & wants all 3 of those players to take less money so they can “win”.
The NHL is now a very competitive & any team can miss or make the playoffs any given year.
So this team that signed this FA now wants it’s own young players to take less so they can build a powerhouse? The Maple Leafs took a gamble on this & so far one of their own young players who does not know what could happen to him at any given wants a fair market contract. A bridge deal that covers his remaining RFA years sounds like a fair compromise but the team wants a long term & expects the player to take less because they spent $11mil/yr on a FA? The team created this mess & now they have to rectify it in some way.
^This
If I was Nylander i’d be saying “Why did you throw 11mil at JT when you have my contract, Austin’s, and Mitch’s contracts all coming up?”
I would take the bridge if I were Nylander, boost my stats on a good team, then sign a long-term extension when that bridge is up – with, or without the leafs
the bridge is likely what the Leafs want. sign him for 2 years at 7 million per. easily fit him in this year with cap room to spare at the deadline and then in the off-season move him for a significant piece back if he has a good season.
The one thing nylander needs to understand though is that sitting out a long period doesn’t get him more money. I get he can’t be low balled but waiting too long is a dangerous game too.
Well the 8 million a year he is asking is certainly not market value.