Rival GM comments on trading for Nylander!

If William Nylander fails to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs before it's too late, there might be a major trade taking place for the talented forward. And we all know several teams are kicking the tires on the Maple Leafs and what it might take to acquire him. 

If Nylander can’t or won’t sign in Toronto, the speculation is that the Leafs will flip him to a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks or Philadelphia Flyers for some defensive help. The names Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Brandon Montour, Travis Sanheim and Sam Morin have all been brought up when discussing Nylander's potential trade destinations. The Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers are also reportedly inquired about the possibility of landing the young forward. 

While these teams are investigating on what it takes to get Nylander on their roster, TSN's Michael Landsberg also did some investigating of his own when he interviewed Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell during a segment of FirstUp1050 on Thursday. He certainly didn’t hide his obvious interest in Nylander but at the same time he’s being respectful of the process the Leafs are dealing with. 

The Leafs are quite aware of Carolina's interest in Nylander, and for the moment, there is probably only one thing the Hurricanes can do: sit back and wait. 

The clock is ticking more than ever, and surely the Leafs' decision making will be pushed in the coming weeks. It is possible the Hurricanes hear back sooner rather than later. Nylander is a restricted free agent coming out of his entry-level contract, and must have a deal in place by the December 1 RFA deadline in order to play in the NHL this season.

GM Kyle Dubas remains set on coming to terms with Nylander, though has admitted that he needs to start looking into the possibility of moving him to a rival team if an agreement cannot be reached between both parties. Waddell understands that the Leafs' priority remains to sign Nylander, and also noted that he experienced similar situations in the past and wanted to quiet quiet and respectful of their process. 

It remains to be seen which team might be willing to meet Toronto's asking price if ever the Leafs fail to sign the much-talked about free agent.