Brad Treliving may have just sealed William Nylander’s fate with Maple Leafs

There is still plenty of time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to re-sign top forward William Nylander to an extension, and general manager Brad Treliving knows it.

Attending a GM meeting in Chicago on Friday, Treliving was asked by insider Pierre LeBrun about his first offseason with the Maple Leafs and his success in re-signing superstar Auston Matthews to a four-year, $53 million extension that keeps him in Toronto through the 2027-28 season.

But it always leads to the question: what about Nylander.

Treliving keeps reminding fans and pundits that there’s still plenty of time when it comes to number 88. Nylander has spent his entire career in Toronto and is now entering the last year of the six-year, $45 million deal signed back in 2018, and could have agreed to a new deal since July 1st, like Matthews.

“Willy is a really important player and a really good player, and we want to get him done, too,” Treliving said to LeBrun. “That’s next on the list.”

While refusing to share more about the contract negotiations and where both camps currently stand, Treliving repeated how Nylander is hoping to stay in Toronto. The GM also claims that they haven’t hit a wall in contract talks.

“No, no, no, we’ll talk here prior to getting the season started and see where we’re at,” Treliving said. “But we still have a year.”

Treliving is definitely looking to take some pressure off the situation, because there is still time.

With this interview, LeBrun feels pretty certain that a deal will eventually get done, if the Maple Leafs remain contenders come the trade deadline that is.

“So if I were to read between the lines here, I don’t think the trade deadline in March will be much of a factor as long as the Leafs are contenders again. They seem willing to go all the way to next summer to get Nylander’s contract done.” 

Pierre LeBrun 

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