The 3 sexiest options for Toronto in a Nylander trade.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and young restricted free agent forward William Nylander remain locked in a difficult contract negotiation well into the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season and there has been no indication whatsoever that the two sides are close to a deal. 

Over the past few days however what has happened is the dynamic in the those negotiations have shifted somewhat as rumors have begun to circulate regarding potential offers from organizations in the Kontinental Hockey League. Earlier today we touched on reports that indicated hockey club Salavat Yulaev based in Ufa has a considerable deal of interest in extending a contract offer to Nylander, although it's unclear at this time if that offer has already been put on the table or not. Additionally former NHL head coach Bob Hartley, who happens to coach the KHL's Avengard the team that currently owns Nylander's KHL rights, stated that he would love to have Nylander on his team. The comments from Hartley are particularly noteworthy due to the fact that Hartley and William Nylander's father, reportedly a key part in the negotiations with the Leafs, are familiar with one another. 

The pressure that appeared to be entirely on Nylander initially may have now shifted at least in part over to the Maple Leafs and you have to wonder if Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas won't begin to give the possibility of trading Nylander some serious consideration. With that in mind let's look at 3 of the sexiest trades the Leafs could potentially make for a player like Nylander. First and foremost these are dream scenarios and likely won't materialize and secondly all of these deals are made under the presumption that the Leafs orchestrate some form of sign and trade. 

#3 Darnell Nurse

The least sexy of our 3 options is Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. The once highly touted prospect has developed into a solid NHL defenseman in spite of playing in a very difficult situation in Edmonton. At just 23 years of age he would fit very well with the direction in which the Leafs are headed and at just $3.2 million per season over the next two years he comes relatively cheap. The issues here are obvious however, Nurse on his own likely wouldn't be enough to get Dubas to pull the trigger and the fact that he is yet another left shooting defenseman decreases the likelihood of that even further. That being said the Oilers offense has been abysmal this season and perhaps Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli could find a way to sweeten the deal. Kyle Dubas did draft Nurse into the Ontario Hockey League however so there is an additional connection there to the Leafs. 

#2 Zach Werenski

Although it has not yet been made official it appears that the writing is already on the wall for the relationship between the Columbus Blue Jackets and star forward Artemi Panarin. Werenski had a break out season as a rookie in the NHL but he took somewhat of a step back in his second season, in spite of the fact that he remains a very talented young defenseman. Werenski also shoots left which is not ideal for the Leafs but at 21 years old he would be a huge acquisition for the Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets may also lose veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency so signing Nylander to the kind of money that is reportedly asking for would be a non issue for Columbus. 

#1 Ryan Ellis

Last but definitely not least, this would likely be the dream scenario for Dubas, head coach Mike Babcock, and the Maple Leafs organization. Ellis is a franchise quality defenseman, he shoots right,  and the fact that he is signed for 8 years at a very team friendly $6.25 million per season would be perfect for the Leafs. That is reportedly right around the number that Dubas would like to get Nylander in at on a long term deal in order to get Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in under the cap on their next deals. Of course the issue is getting a shrewd general manager like David Poile to give up a player on such a sweet deal. That being said though the Predators lack of offensive depth has been an issue in the last 2 playoffs when players like Kevin Fiala and Ryan Johansson have gone down to serious injuries. The Predators also have the cap space to accommodate a player like Nylander and his big contract demands and given the Leafs current predicament Poile could look to extract some extra value in the deal. 

Could you see any of these options becoming a reality? Is there a better option out there in your opinion? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.