No. 3: William Nylander
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Mason McTavish, John Gibson (Ducks retain 50%) and 2024 1st Round Pick
- Anaheim Ducks acquire: William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok
Here’s a wild trade for you!
The Ducks would receive a superstar 40-goal scorer in Nylander and probably sign him to an eight-year extension, while the Leafs get a potential star in McTavish and number-one goalie in Gibson for only $3.2M per year for four more years.
Gibson has not been good for the past few years, but he’s clearly been unhappy in Anaheim for awhile now, as the team has been terrible.
A change of scenery could be exactly what he’s looking for and the Leafs are currently without a legitimate number-one goalie.
It’s possible that Ilya Samsonov re-signs or that the team could run with Joseph Woll as the starter, but I feel like they’d feel safer with Gibson.
Finding a trade partner for Nylander is a lot harder than you think because you still need to shed some salary, all while trying to get solid value back.
By trading for McTavish, you get a top-six forward but you delay paying him for two more years which is huge.
You wouldn’t have to pay him until Mitch Marner and John Tavares’ salary-cap comes off the books, so it buys you a few more years with this current core, all while making your future better.
This trade may be insane, but I think it’s a win-win for both organizations.