Trade Proposal Suggests Possible Replacement for Nylander

William Nylander could be on his way out of Toronto and his replacement could be coming in.

Potential Nylander Replacement

It is no secret that the Leafs need to either extend William Nylander or trade him. He is too valuable to go directly to free agency and walk for nothing. GM Brad Treliving has dealt with situations like that in the past with Johnny Gaudreau leaving Calgary in favor of Columbus.

Now with Nylander, Treliving may be forced to trade him in exchange for assets that can help the Leafs for years to come.


Currently, Trevor Zegras is unsigned with the Anaheim Ducks and if the Leafs were to move Nylander out, they could sign Zegras to the contract he is demanding (3 years, $5-7 million)

Mock Trade

Any Nylander for Zegras swap would be relatively even but the Leafs would likely need to add a bit because Zegras is younger and has contract control.



There is a great deal of sense to this swap. Toronto gets an instant impact player in Trevor Zegras who would work great on the wing of Matthews and Marner creating one of the most dynamic and fun-to-watch lines in the NHL.

They part with Nylander who is coming off a 40-goal and 87-point year but in Anaheim, he will have a chance to get paid appropriately and be the main guy. The Leafs also give up Nick Robertson who has plenty of upside but has been plagued with injuries thus far.