General Manager Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs confirmed their contract extension agreement with forward William Nylander earlier today, succeeding reports which noted that negotiations between the parties had begun to accelerate within the past week.
Nylander’s new AAV of 11.5 million dollars per season, when the extension begins (in the 2024-25 season), would place him among the top 25 contracts in the league this season. He had last signed with the Maple Leafs in 2018 after a reasonably infamous stand-off between the parties in restricted free agency, which has since subdued narrative value as a result of Nylander’s incendiary play in the following seasons. This incendiary quality is best highlighted in the scope of this season, in which Nylander’s 33 assists and 54 points are not only both team-leading quantities but tied for seventh and fifth league-wide, respectively.
William Nylander Signs Extension with Toronto
Hearing Toronto and William Nylander closing 8x$11.5M extension. Full NMC all the way through.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 8, 2024
Across the past three seasons, Nylander has served as a primary source of offensive play-driving and chance creation within the Toronto lineup across high-end minutes in the top six. From the defensive end, Nylander is active in supporting across two-thirds of the offensive zone, ensuring fruitful development of speed as he approaches the neutral zone. Through the zone, Nylander’s culmination of high-end skill in significant facets with the puck and in his skating generates considerable service to his ability to control the pace of play, creating advantageous attacking lanes that open the central funnel of offense for Toronto. The high shot quantity obtained through these lanes synthesizes with elite open-ice vision and passing, establishing Nylander as the integral motor of Toronto’s attacking situations with him on the ice.
Outlook for Nylander and the Maple Leafs
Currently, the Maple Leafs place third in their division and 10th across the league, with 47 points accumulated through 37 games this season. Nylander’s current form is one that only maintains or even improves an already stellar mark for the team. Despite this mark, it is entirely possible the team has a far higher ceiling; the volatility of the club’s goaltending as of late has prevented the club from achieving the heights projected for the Maple Leafs, given their high-end talents.
Still, Nylander is a fundamental part of this Maple Leafs core, which has narrowly missed opportunities(primarily in the postseason) at a continuous rate as they seek to capitalize on the most promising period in modern Maple Leafs history. At age 27, William Nylander’s prime play is still well observable, especially for a player who plays a game that can sustain the regressive effects of age.
MAIN PHOTO: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
