January 6, 2024 | 9:07pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
NYLANDER NEAR DEAL WORTH AROUND $92 MILLION
William Nylander, forward
The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander’s camp are closing in on an eight-year contract extension worth around $92 million, according to Elliotte Friedman.
During the “Saturday Headlines” segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman reported the deal could be finalized as soon as Monday.
At the end of December, TFP’s David Pagnotta reported talks between the Leafs and Nylander were set to intensify soon after the calendar flipped to January. On Thursday, Pagnotta reported in his column “the Maple Leafs are hoping to get Nylander locked into an eight-year extension this month, prior to All-Star Weekend.”
It appears Leafs GM Brad Treliving and Nylander’s agent Lewis Gross have been hammering away at a deal this week and the anticipation is an announcement is imminent.
Earlier today on “The Hot Stove” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Pagnotta noted Nylander’s new contract is expected to be in the $11 million to $11.5 million range. According to Friedman, the deal will be closer to $11.5 million, per season.
“It’s getting close. We could see this as soon as Monday,” Friedman said on HNIC. “I do believe the AAV for Nylander is going to be around 11 and a half million dollars a year. Now, obviously, there’s going to be a ton of debate about this. I think quite simply it came down to one fact: the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to keep the player, they think he’s a good player and a big part of their future, and this was the price that it took to get him for eight years, and that’s what they are going to do. So, I think we could see it as soon as Monday around $11.5 million per year.”
Nylander’s new cap hit, which kicks in next season, will give the Leafs four players making more than $10 million per season starting the 2024-25 campaign, though captain John Tavares and star winger Mitch Marner will be playing on expiring deals, at that point, if they do not reach extensions, which they are both eligible to sign starting July 1.
As Pagnotta noted on Thursday, “the Leafs should be able to navigate their finances accordingly to accommodate another eight-figure contract.”
Going into tonight’s game in San Jose against the Sharks, Nylander sits sixth in the NHL in points with 51 (19 goals, 32 assists) through 36 games.