Kyle Dubas’ time as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs both started and ended with massive contract decisions looming for the NHL’s biggest franchise, and the same is set from day one of the newly hired Brad Treliving’s tenure.
There is only about a month until Toronto Maple Leafs superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander are eligible to sign contract extensions.
Incoming GM Brad Treliving’s pressure-filled job will begin immediately as he’ll have to get both players names on a new deal.
His first move should be to get Nylander’s deal done before even Matthews’.
Why William Nylander Should be the Toronto Maple Leafs Top Priority
According to reports from TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in no rush to move off their much-maligned “core four” and the biggest name of the group, Matthews, is reportedly not set to put pen to paper on July 1st according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Although this brings a level of fear like no other to Leafs Nation, reports suggest he wants to be in blue and white for the foreseeable future. However, he is seeking more knowledge about the direction of new management and what the future looks like for the team before locking in long-term.
So with the idea being that the team needs to prove it to their 25-year-old superstar sniper, a way to start things on the right foot would be to bring back a talented teammate and star player in #88 on a contract that could look incredible the moment it’s signed.
During the 2018-19 season, Nylander was on a mission to get the contract he desired, sitting out 26 games that year to ultimately land on a six-year $6.9 million AAV (average annual salary), which would turn out to be one of the best value contracts in hockey in short order.
Following his deal both Matthews and Marner would blow past his AAV and get comparable deals to Tavares, setting the stage for the team to have close to 40 million AAV in four players, a contract strategy that has since become adopted by most of the NHL’s good teams.
Since then, however, Nylander has proven to be just as much a core four-member as any of the other three, indicating that his number should go up a significant amount. Despite that, TSN’s Darren Dreger has stated that Nylander’s next deal could come close to that of Marner’s current deal, proving once again to be a potential value for the Leafs at his current age of 27 and the NHL’s salary cap set to go up over the next several years.
If the past is any proof, Nylander being the first to ink a deal with any member from the teams core could prove to benefit the team in setting a present for negotiations with Marner and Matthews, suggesting the two players aren’t that much better than the right winger who potted 40 goals and 87 points in 82 games this past season.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs are serious about bringing back the team’s four-star players for another kick at the can, it should start with Nylander, the player who many pinpoint as tradeable but should be viewed as untouchable.