Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander’s next contract.
This week, the Montreal Canadians and the Lightning announced a trade. The Canadiens acquired forward Johnathan Drouin and then promptly signed him to a contract extension. Drouin’s new contract may provide a preview of what William Nylander’s next contract will look like.
Drouin has played 164 games over three seasons where he has scored 29 goals, 66 assists , and 95 points. His contract is for six years with a $5.5 million cap hit annually. Nylander is a similarly skilled offensive player, so it makes sense to compare the two when considering what Nylander may cost the Leafs when his contract expires.
Nylander vs Drouin
While comparing William Nylander’s statistics to Drouin, a young winger considered a major talent, you can see Nylander is special. Nylander is a natural centre who played this past season on the wing. His first NHL action came in the 2015-16 season where he was a late season call-up from the Toronto Marlies. In 22 games as a rookie centre, he scored 6 goals and added 7 helpers while posting positive possession numbers.
| Scoring | Goals | Per Game | Point Shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tm | Pos | From | To | Active | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | EV | PP | SH | GW | S | S% | TOI | G | A | PTS | S | OPS | DPS | PS |
| Jonathan Drouin | TBL | LW | 2014 | 2017 | 3 | 164 | 29 | 66 | 95 | -9 | 54 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 284 | 10.2 | 2522 | 0.18 | 0.40 | 0.58 | 1.73 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 9.1 |
| William Nylander | TOR | C | 2015 | 2017 | 2 | 103 | 28 | 46 | 74 | -2 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 248 | 11.3 | 1656 | 0.27 | 0.45 | 0.72 | 2.41 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 8.4 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/16/2017.
| William Nylander | Corsi (All) | Fenwick (All) | PDO (All) | Zone Starts (All) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Team | Lg | GP | TOI | CF | CA | CF% | CF% rel | FF | FA | FF% | FF% rel | oiSH% | oiSV% | PDO | oZS% | dZS% |
| 2015-16 | 19 | TOR | NHL | 22 | 359.4 | 424 | 261 | 61.9 | 12.9 | 297 | 211 | 58.5 | 10.6 | 7.9 | 92.7 | 100.6 | 67.8 | 32.2 |
| 2016-17 | 20 | TOR | NHL | 81 | 1289.6 | 1533 | 1096 | 58.3 | 11.1 | 1167 | 846 | 58.0 | 11.3 | 9.1 | 92.3 | 101.4 | 64.9 | 35.1 |
| Career | NHL | 103 | 1649.0 | 1957 | 1357 | 59.1 | 11.5 | 1464 | 1057 | 58.1 | 11.2 | 8.9 | 92.4 | 101.3 | 65.6 | 34.4 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/16/2017.
| Johnathan Drouin | Corsi (EV) | Fenwick (EV) | PDO (EV) | Zone Starts (EV) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Team | Lg | GP | TOI | CF | CA | CF% | CF% rel | FF | FA | FF% | FF% rel | oiSH% | oiSV% | PDO | oZS% | dZS% |
| 2014-15 | 19 | TBL | NHL | 70 | 791.7 | 752 | 647 | 53.8 | 1.5 | 573 | 484 | 54.2 | 2.2 | 8.1 | 91.1 | 99.2 | 59.2 | 40.8 |
| 2015-16 | 20 | TBL | NHL | 21 | 260.5 | 227 | 221 | 50.7 | 0.8 | 155 | 167 | 48.1 | -2.8 | 13.5 | 91.2 | 104.7 | 58.7 | 41.3 |
| 2016-17 | 21 | TBL | NHL | 73 | 1067.0 | 1008 | 904 | 52.7 | 1.5 | 761 | 706 | 51.9 | 1.4 | 7.9 | 90.7 | 98.6 | 58.1 | 41.9 |
| Career | NHL | 164 | 2119.2 | 1987 | 1772 | 52.9 | 1.4 | 1489 | 1357 | 52.3 | 1.1 | 8.5 | 90.9 | 99.4 | 58.5 | 41.5 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/16/2017.
After the Drouin contract, can the Toronto Maple Leafs sign Nylander to a comparable deal? pic.twitter.com/CN4P8SnP1h
— Harte of a Lion (@BruceAshley4) June 17, 2017
Nylander Will Be a Top 10 Centre
"As a rookie (first 20 or so games, the year before last) he (Nylander) was a playing centre in the NHL and posting positive possession numbers on a last place team. 53% is good for anyone. For a rookie playing on a last place team, it’s amazing. James Tanner"
In 103 career games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nylander has scored 28 goals and added 46 helpers for 74 points and a .718 ppg. average.
Furthermore, Nylander scored a goal and added three helpers against the Capitals this spring. While he wowed fans and opposition alike, Nylander was twice awarded the NHL’s Rookie of the Month. The 2016-17 season included a franchise record 12 game point streak. Nylander also set the Leafs rookie record for power play points.
Drouin is a good player who may become great, however Nylander is in another class. As a second year pro, Nylander put up 30 5v5 points to Drouin’s 24 and had a better possession rating, despite it being Drouin’s 3rd pro season.
Nylander’s Next Contract
The Leafs need to re-sign Nylander as soon as they can. The Toronto Maple Leafs should not gamble. Better to pay him now than after he’s had another great season. At this point, it seems clear that he is going to cost more than Drouin. If Drouin is getting $5.5 per year, Nylander is at least $6, maybe more.
And the price is only going up.
The day he is eligible to be re-signed, the Toronto Maple Leafs should sign him for as long as they possibly can. The cheaper the better (for the team, anyway), but with a player like Nylander, you pay what you have to.
all stats: ownthepuck.blogspot.ca, hockey-reference.com, www.capfriendly.com