We just learned the reason why William Nylander hasn't been traded yet and the Montreal Canadiens are not involved
Now that the Auston Matthews contract situation has been settled in Toronto, the Maple Leafs' new general manager, Brad Treliving, can focus on another star forward, namely William Nylander.
Number 88 will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024 and as reported by Danslescoulisses.com, his salary demands are said to be a new contract that would pay him about 10 million dollars per season.
But the Leafs find themselves in a tricky situation because of the salary cap, which may explain why the Nylander camp and the Maple Leafs' brass are having difficulty coming to an agreement.
There's always the option of trading the Swedish forward since he's now among the NHL elite with a 40-goal season in 2022-2023, but a reputed insider revealed information about the Leafs' real intentions towards their star player.
During his appearance on the morning show Halford & Brough on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, Elliotte Friedman said that Brad Treliving had tried to shop Nylander during the summer but the Leafs' GM was unsatisfied with the offers he received.
I mean, he scored 40 goals last year. He's a really talented guy and in the playoffs, he was involved in some of their best moments against Tampa Bay. I think they know and recognize that, they didn't like what's happening on the trade market."
It might seem surprising given that Nylander just had a 40-goal season, but one must also consider the fact that he will be a free agent at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
If a team wanted to acquire him, they would need some guarantee from the Nylander camp about his intentions to agree to the terms of a new long-term contract, as happened with Bo Horvat last year.
The Vancouver Canucks had traded their forward to the New York Islanders at a high price, but Horvat then signed a new contract with the Islanders, which could justify the price the latter had to pay for his acquisition.
I'm not comparing the two players' situations, but one can see some parallels. If the Maple Leafs want to trade William Nylander, it's clear that the return must be very good because it would be surprising if the organization took the risk of losing him for nothing at the end of the next season.
A case to follow, as they say.
| POLL | ||
In your opinion, what will happen with William Nylander? | ||
| He will sign a new deal with Toronto | 82 | 22.8 % |
| He will be traded by Brad Treliving | 151 | 41.9 % |
| He will test the free agent market in 2024 | 127 | 35.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
