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Ticking towards Nylander deadline, Matthews still needs healing time

November 18, 2018, 8:24 PM ET [495 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs took to the ice for practice and their annual Easter Seals skate at the Mastercard Centre in Etobicoke, ON on Sunday, fresh from their clean sweep on the West Coast and for the first time since being injured three weeks ago, Auston Matthews took part in practice with his teammates.

Matthews (wearing a red non-contact jersey) was an extra skater and indicated that the shoulder that was injured by a Jacob Trouba check on October 27th is feeling better, but is not yet ready for game action.

“Not all there.” Matthews said to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun The strength in (my) arm still coming back, it’s not fully there. (Shot) accuracy is a little off. But I think that stuff will all come back pretty soon.”

The Leafs have a busy week ahead, with four games against Columbus at home on Monday, at Carolina on Wednesday, a rematch with the Blue Jackets on the road on Friday and against Philadelphia at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday and the four-week prognosis would see him potentially eligible next weekend, but with Toronto continuing to win without their star center in the lineup, the club will wait for Matthews to be back to 100%.

“I’m going to come back when I feel ready, but it’s great to see us getting a lot of wins. A lot of guys are stepping up in big moments.”

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The news regarding the ongoing impasse between the Leafs and William Nylander continues to indicate no progress as the deadline for the restricted free agent to sign is less than two weeks away.

Earlier this week in a piece in the Athletic, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said that the NHL trade deadline in late February could be in play for a possible Nylander deal if GM Kyle Dubas cannot find a deal to his liking prior to the December 1st deadline for the 22-year-old to play in the NHL this season.

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston confirmed that the Leafs would be comfortable keeping Nylander past the signing deadline if they do not get an offer to their liking or his camp does not come down in their price.

Teams not in the playoff race may still be amenable to a deal for Nylander, since he would not hinder their pursuit of the best odds in the NHL Draft Lottery for presumptive 2018 top pick Jack Hughes.

If you say that is far-fetched, one of the most attractive qualities of the Tyler Myers - Evander Kane deal between Winnipeg and Buffalo in 2015 was that Kane was out with season-ending shoulder surgery and that he would not affect the Sabres pursuit of either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.

The only downside to a potential Nylander deadline deal is that it would potentially limit the number of suitors for the restricted free agent and might limit any return in a trade.
In terms of the Leafs being comfortable in letting Nylander sit, that could simply be a public stance for teams who might be lowballing Dubas to up their offers or bring other clubs into the mix at the eleventh hour.

Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that other teams would be willing to pay Nylander more than
$7 Million per season on a long-term contract (which is well above the price range that Toronto reportedly would be willing to go), but that team would also have to meet the Leafs asking price, which is rumored to be a young top-four blueliner and another NHL roster player.

In his Sunday column, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the Rangers are interested but not amongst the front runners for Nylander and might be willing to include 24-year-old Brady Skjei (who was a healthy scratch for the first time in nearly two years on Saturday and signed a six-year deal last summer) and a forward like Chris Kreider in a swap.

Skjei is big and talented, but is coming off a subpar sophomore season and is struggling to adjust to new coach David Quinn. Kreider is a big left wing that the Leafs could use after the departure of James van Riemsdyk (and leads New York with 11 goals), but might be too pricey at a $4.625 Million AAV this and next season.

The Leafs might be more interested in a younger, less expensive winger (like former Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey, who is signed through next season at $2.275 Million), but the deal that Brooks is speculating about is the kind of return that Dubas is likely looking for and might be hard to turn down.

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