Nylander's Selfish Contract Demands May Force Trade

It is no secret that William Nylander is one to value himself highly. When signing his current contract, he held out till the very end and signed a contract that will expire next year.

Currently being underpaid, Nylander wants an expensive new contract and it looks like he will not budge on it.

If Nylander wants a contract over $9 million which is super expensive for a player of his caliber. Coming off of a career year with 87 points, Nylander shows he thinks he is one of the most valuable contracts in the NHL.

The Leafs are offering in the $8 million range which is not far off of his value. Other players of Nylander's caliber like Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz, and Mika Zibanejad all make between $8.4 and $8.5 million.

On the other hand, players such as Kirill Kaprizov, Mikko Rantanen, and Matthew Tkachuk make between $9 and $9.5 million.

There is a clear difference in the tier of players in this range and it appears that Nylander is overselling himself which will likely force the Leafs to trade Nylander.

There are a few things that need to happen for Nylander to be shipped off.

1: He does not budge on his contract desires

2: A team is willing to pay him upwards of $9 million

3: They have assets that will keep the Leafs competitive for the immediate and distant future

The package will likely look like a player a tier or two below Nylander on a good contract, a prospect, and a top pick.

To TOR:
Elias Lindholm
Matthew Coronato
2024 3rd round pick

To CAL:
William Nylander (extended to an 8 x $9m contract)