The Toronto Maple Leafs have benefited from William Nylander’s explosion of production this season. However, his impressive play has come with a massive cost.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are always fighting two concurrent battles. They fight for a top spot in their division, conference, and the NHL by trying to win as many games as possible. They’re also doing their best to keep a lid on players’ salaries so that they don’t go over the NHL salary cap.
Though they would have liked to have signed Nylander to an extension when he was cheap, the Leafs are not going to be able to keep the pending unrestricted free agent past this season.
He has simply been too good and will be too expensive moving forward.
William Nylander Has Priced Himself Off the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs tinkered in the early days of the season with using Nylander on the third line. He very quickly proved that not only was that a mistake, but he couldn’t be held down.
He ended up starting the season by setting a Maple Leafs franchise record of recording at least a point in every one of the team’s first 18 games. While Mitch Marner has the club’s regular season record of 23 straight games with a point, Nylander tied Darryl Sittler from the 1977-78 season and Eddie Olcyzk from1989-90 when he put 18 straight point producing games together.
Nylander isn’t just one of the Maple Leafs top stars. This season, he has arguably been their best player.
The problem for the Toronto Maple Leafs lies with how much they are paying other players.
It is obviously absurd to even consider Nylander earning a greater salary than sniper Auston Matthews, but if he wants to be paid in the same neighbourhood, the Leafs might have to move on.
With the run he’s been on, there is no doubting that there are teams ready to pay Nylander north of $11 million per season. If he’s interested in the biggest available pay day, he’ll get his windfall, just not in Toronto.
Along with Matthews and Marner’s big tickets, the Maple Leafs still have to pay John Tavares $11 million and Morgan Rielly $7.5 million next season. Beyond that, the team will need to negotiate contract extensions for Tavares and Marner who both have deals expiring at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
It’s important to also remember that Matthew Knies is currently playing on a $925,000 entry-level contract. He becomes a restricted free agent at the same time Marner and Tavares become UFAs. When that happens, Knies’ cap hit could sky rocket if he manages to or begins to reach his potential by then.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are aware of the landscape and will certainly make a generous offer to Nylander in an effort to keep him. No team ever wants to lose a top talent but with Nylander’s outstanding play, he may just price himself off the Leafs.