Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Possible William Nylander Trade Destinations

It feels like only a matter of time before the Toronto Maple Leafs trade William Nylander.

Over the past decade, there hasn’t been a more polarizing player on the Toronto Maple Leafs than Nylander.

He was the poster-child for the rebuild prior to Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews getting drafted and then was hated by almost all the Leafs worst fans when he negotiated his last contract.

He continued to see the hate based on his ability to float in crucial moments, but now that he’s a 40-goal scorer, there seems to be some more love for him.

He currently has one year left on his contract, which is worth a little less than $7M AAV, so all of sudden, he has one of the best contracts in the league. In truth, he has had one of the best contracts in hockey since he signed this deal.  However, that’s going to change very soon, as the Leafs have the ability to re-sign Nylander as early as July 1st.

With Matthews and Marner also due an extension soon, the Leafs have a big question to ask themselves. Would they better off saving money on Nylander and putting him ahead of Matthews or Marner on the to-do list, or do they trade the asset while its value is the highest?

There are going to be dozens of teams lining up for Nylander’s services if the Leafs make him available, because not only will he be someone who can help your team down the road, but his currently contract provides incredible value.

Toronto’s been known to keep their assets until the contract expires, but there’s a new man in charge now. Brad Treliving may play this game differently and want to trade Nylander, knowing he can’t afford to sign him next year, which would be the smart move if Nylander is asking for too much or is planning on walking anyway.

As a result, here are three trade destinations for Nylander if he’s not planning on re-signing with the Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Destination No. 1: Winnipeg Jets

I can’t think of a better situation than to ship Nylander to Winnipeg.

Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck have both been on the chopping-block with the Jets for the past few years, so a move involving one of those players would be a real win for the hockey world.

If this was in the NBA, this trade would’ve been made years ago but seeing an actual hockey trade go down rarely happens in the NHL.

Nylander is one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL, so he shouldn’t be traded for 50 cents on the dollar.

Instead, if the team plans on moving him, they need a legitimate return and someone like Scheifele or Hellebuyck seems like fair value.

The Jets would probably have to give up a little more than just Hellebuyck, because even though he’s a Vezina Trophy candidate seemingly every year, goalies rarely get traded for their proper value, likely due to the unpredictability of the position.

Nylander for Scheifele is a more reasonable trade, though the Leafs likely don’t want to get older, and he’s three years older than Nylander.

I’d hate to see Nylander traded but I’d be onboard if it was to the Jets.

No. 2: Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers look to be an active team right now, with one player in particular being rumored: Travis Sanheim.

Sanheim had a weak 2022-23 season, but who didn’t on the Flyers?

The team missed the playoffs, which sparked many changes and this team could now be in a legitimate rebuild as they look to get back to the playoffs for the first time in four years.

The Flyers would have to eat some salary here and include a few sweeteners, but Sanheim would look nice on the Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line.

Not only would Sanheim be a viable option in a Nylander trade, but Kevin Hayes could be another player on the move.

With three years left on his deal at a price-tag a little north of Nylander ($7.1M AAV), Hayes could be a second-line centre with size that the Toronto Maple Leafs could use.

Hayes doesn’t put up the same amount of points that Nylander does at all, but his frame (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) would add a different element to the top-six.

The Flyers would have to throw in more than Hayes in order to get a deal done in Toronto, but he’s just one of a few players that could make an intriguing package in a Nylander trade.