William Nylander reveals true thoughts after contract extension

William Nylander is sticking around with the Toronto Maple Leafs, agreeing to a hefty $92 million deal that spans over eight years, the largest contract extension in franchise history. 

With the deal, this means that Toronto's "Core 4" of Nylander, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner now count for $46.65 million against the salary cap. 

And aside from the problems with the salary cap that it will inevitably cause down the road, Leafs fans right now are basking in the joy of sealing the long-term future of one of hockey's best players with their organization. 

And for Nylander, it wasn't a question of where he would sign, but when he would re-sign with the Leafs. 

"This has been home for me," he said. Without even thinking about it, this was home."

Despite a massive change in management over the summer in which former general manager Kyle Dubas replaced by Brad Treliving, Nylander got the feeling that Toronto's brain trust is continuing to support the current team core. 

"It's huge as a player to feel that [management is] really investing in the core and betting on us," he said.

And of course, trying to lead the Maple Leafs to their first Stanley Cup victory since 1967 is the main motivation for Nylander's deciding to stick around.

"That's ultimately why I wanted to stay here for eight years," he said. 

In the meantime, Nylander came through with the following message of gratefulness: 

"I didn't do this by myself," he said. "Thanks to my teammates, coaching staff, and management, everybody that has believed in me, and especially the City of Toronto, the Leafs fans, and everything for all the support."

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