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In spite of the level of frustration rising among their fan base and speculation running rampant about potential trades, the Toronto Maple Leafs are still hoping that the end result of the impasse between them and William Nylander is an agreement on a new contract.
The stalemate between Toronto and the restricted free agent will reach the length that occurred between defenseman Jacob Trouba and the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday and from that point, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has three weeks to get the winger signed or he will be unable to play in the NHL this season.
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that internally the Leafs believe in Nylander as a quality player on and off the ice and still have not started actively shopping him to many interested teams that have made inquiries.
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Auston Matthews returned to the ice ahead of #Leafs practice this morning. pic.twitter.com/7YMgkQeySb
The Carolina Hurricanes have been the most obvious of teams interested, as AGM Rick Dudley has set up camp in Toronto the last few weeks and multiple scouts have been on the seating chart at Scotiabank Arena (and a Canes scout was at the Leafs game in Pittsburgh on Saturday), but Johnston believes that the Leafs may still retain Nylander’s rights past December 1.
That all depends on the quality of offers that Toronto receives from clubs before the deadline and how far apart the two sides are on a new deal. One of the most important aspects of this negotiation is GM Kyle Dubas making the best deal possible (either signing a fair salary or getting a great return in a trade) and not appearing to lose because of the impact it could have on future negotiations with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews.
If the options for Dubas are to either to sign at an amount closer to what Nylander’s camp is looking for, make a trade and get back a return that is not at top value or keep him past December 1 and either trade him in the offseason or take another crack next summer, then his best move is to not be cornered and keep the winger.
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To finish up on the potential return for Nylander if the Leafs do decide to shop him in the next few weeks, here is who would likely be on their wish list using the four teams that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated last week could be involved in a trade:
Los Angeles – Nylander for Tanner Pearson and Jake Muzzin
This is a potential return for Nylander reported by the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta over the weekend and could also include additional pieces as well.
From the Kings perspective, they are in last place in the NHL and fired head coach John Stevens in favor of Willie Desjardins on Sunday, so they may wait to see if the coaching change will salvage their season, but their obvious problem is that they are not blessed with speed (which Nylander would help address) and they are heavily laden with big contracts and players over the age of 30.
Pearson is 26 and off to a rough start (1 assist in 13 games), but has averaged 18 goals over the last three seasons, is a left winger with size (which the Leafs could use) and is under contract for another two years at $3.75 Million AAV).
Muzzin, 29, was part of the Kings Cup victory in 2014, has reached the 40-point plateau twice in the last three seasons and would give the Leafs a top four defenseman to replace Jake Gardiner (if he leaves via free agency) at an affordable $4 Million salary for next season.
Minnesota – Nylander for Jonas Brodin and Jordan Greenway
The Wild have the necessary ingredients to entice the Leafs in a Nylander deal. Matt Dumba just signed a five-year extension, which makes it unlikely that GM Paul Fenton would deal him and veteran Jared Spurgeon is an unrestricted free agent after next season. 25-year-old Jonas Brodin is a seven-year NHL veteran and locked up for another two years at a very reasonable $4.166 Million AAV.
Minnesota has many young options at forward, but the most enticing could be Greenway, a power forward with skill who started for Team USA at the World Juniors in 2017 and could be a good fit eventually as a top-6 left winger playing with either Matthews or John Tavares.
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