Brian Burke makes a bold prediction regarding Nylander's future.

The frustration in Toronto surrounding forward William Nylander has been building since long before the talented young forward hit the ice this season and has now reached a fever pitch in arguably hockey's most high pressure market. 

The fact of the matter is simply that Nylander has not lived up to the expectations placed upon him following his well documented contract hold out with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The worst stretch of play of Nylander's young National Hockey League career could not have come at a worse time with his social capital in the city at an all time low. Fans were not enamored of Nylander's contract hold out and with him failing to produce with any consistency after that hold out fan opinion of him has also swung to an all time low, leading to speculation that his time with Toronto may not last for very much longer.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was a recent guest on Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown on Sportsnet's 590 radio in Toronto and the long time NHL executive shared his belief that there is a clear path ahead here for the Maple Leafs and general manager Kyle Dubas. Burke expressed with great confidence that he feels Nylander is currently in the middle of his final season as a Toronto Maple Leafs and even went so far as to predict that Nylander's final playoff game this season will be his last game as a Maple Leaf altogether. 

"I think he's gone," said Burke during the interview. "I think his last game, and I do believe the Leafs will make the playoffs, his last game in the playoffs here this spring will be his last game as a Lead is my prediction."

There were a few key points that Burke honed in on in order to make the case that Dubas would look to trade Nylander over the summer, and it's hard to argue with the long time NHL executive's logic on this one. First and foremost Burke pointed to the fact that the money in Nylander's contract is front loaded which would make him an easy asset to move for the Maple Leafs who would have no issue paying Nylander's rather large upcoming signing bonus and then pulling the trigger on a deal. 

That being said though Burke's views of Nylander as a player seemed to be at the heart of his belief that the young forward would be moved. Burke simply stated that he does not feel Nylander is a difference maker for the Leafs and that he is just one more skilled forward on a team that has players of that nature to spare. That being said though he does believe that the front loaded cash on this deal continues to make Nylander a valuable asset for teams around the National Hockey League and he fully expects that the Leafs will be able to get a good return for their young forward in spite of the struggles that he has had thus far after a very late start to the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season.