William Nylander is in the final year of his contract.
Now comes new information about the negotiations with Toronto – and it makes everyone’s jaw drop.
– It’s not going well…, says expert Chris Johnston.
It was another disappointment for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team hadn’t won a playoff series in 20 years, but finally made it past the first round, after knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning. But in the second round, there was yet another early elimination from the playoffs, and many of the team’s star players were sawn for their efforts.
The new data
But one who stood out throughout the season was William Nylander. The star Swede has at times been heavily criticized by the critical Toronto media corps, but last winter he set a personal record in the number of goals (40) and assists (47). In eleven games in the playoffs, Nylander also accounted for ten points in eleven games.
At the same time, Nylander is in a somewhat precarious situation regarding his future in Toronto. A few years ago, Nylander agreed to sign a shorter contract with a lower salary than he really felt he was worth, to make it easier for Toronto to sign other players, and stay under the salary cap. There is now only one year left on the contract, and negotiations between the player and the club have been going on for a long time. But it seems to be going very slowly.
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Would be shocked then
Now comes new information from the reliable journalist Chris Johnston, who believes that Nylander and Toronto are far apart. Nylander has previously earned just over 70 million kroner a year, but is now said to want to get well over 100 million. It is money that Toronto does not have, unless you move another star player, and the question is whether it can be solved.
– Nylander and Toronto see the world differently right now. He thinks $10 million is reasonable given the points he made. But I can’t see how the Leafs can make it work, says Johnston.
Right now, neither party has given up, but if they don’t come to an agreement, Toronto will have to trade Nylander right now, to avoid him not leaving without a contract next year.
– This will probably, in the end, be about how badly Nylander wants to be a Toronto player. How much lower can he consider going, because I’d be shocked if Toronto gives him a contract anywhere near what he wants.
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