Leafs present new contract offer to Nylander​

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and representatives for William Nylander are still trying to come to an agreement as we are five weeks away from the Dec. 1 deadline to sign the restricted free agent. Trade chatter started going off this past weekend when Dubas was spotted at both New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers home games, getting closer to New Jersey-based agent Lewis Gross, who is handling the talks with Nylander’s father, Michael.

It seems that some of these meetings have encouraged the talks to get more serious as NHL insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet has revealed that a new option is on the table when it comes to a potential contract for Nylander. 

“Hearing  Leafs  and Nylander continue strong dialogue for potential resolution. To my knowledge no pending deal as of yet but talk of possible 6-year term being discussed. Allows Leafs to lock in first UFA year while raising his AAV. Speculation on my part but thinking 6.5-7m per,” tweeted Kypreos late this afternoon. 

As for past negotiations revealed, both sides remain apart of the numbers on a long-term deal, as Nylander is believed to be seeking  around $8 million per season versus just more than $6 million offered by the Leafs. Many believe a compromise would be a bridge deal in the $4 million-to-$5 million range that both sides had initially rejected. The Maple Leafs might be looking at a short-term deal in the two to four years, with Nylander looking for six to eight years.

If Kypreos’s speculation is a view of what is currently taking place in the latest talks between both parties, Nylander might be more attracted to the term suggested in this latest offer. It was recently revealed by Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston that a long-term deal is no longer on the table as the Maple Leafs simply don’t have the cap space long-term to accommodate it, seeing that Dubas still need to have the cash to pay fellow young stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner this coming summer. Dubas has however repeated several times that he believes he can put all three young stars under contract without facing any financial troubles moving forward. 

Last week, Dubas traveled to Switzerland to meet with Nylander as trade rumors continued to be heard along with the uncertainty of the future of the young forward in Toronto. While rival teams remain very interested in landing the services of the young star player, Dubas has always maintained and keeps maintaining that he is not looking to trade the 22-year-old forward. 

Nylander, who has missed the Leafs' nine first games of the Maple Leafs, is coming off back-to-back 61-point seasons in his first two complete campaigns with the club. 

The Maple Leafs have gone 6-3 without Nylander in the lineup so far this season. Many insiders have mentioned that they have a feeling things could be resolved this week in the Nylander saga, and Kypreos' latest reports could be a good sign of an agreement to come shortly. 

Maple Leafs fans eagerly wait for new developments.