Insider shocks the hockey world with major update on nylander negociations

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James Connelly
December 26, 2023 (7:02 PM)

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William Nylander has been on fire this season and may just be pricing him out of Toronto per the latest insider reports.

Nylander May Get $11 Million For His Next Deal

This year Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander has been playing like a man on fire. Through 31 games, Nylander has scored 16 goals and 45 points which is good for fourth in the entire NHL.

Nylander is proving this year that he is one of the best players in the entire NHL and will certainly get a massive raise this offseason. Insider Darren Dreger provided an update on what Nylander could demand and it is not pretty for Leafs fans looking to lock him up for cheap.

"It's gotta be around $11M, right? If it's on an 8-year extension, maybe it's $11M flat or just under $11M. If it's less than 8 years, well then the AAV is probably going to go up a bit - and it also depends what Willy is going to be able to accomplish here in the next several weeks." - Darren Dreger

Currently, the Leafs have Mitch Marner making nearly $11 million per year, John Tavares making $11 million, and Auston Matthews making over $11 million. While it may be tough to stomach paying Nylander $11 million, he is currently outproducing three $11 million players on his own team.

The Analytics Back Up An $11 Million Price Tag

Advanced metrics are a large part of the modern game and Nylander's metrics are among the best in the NHL.

"Look, I mean, just do the math. We've got analytics people... start crunching his numbers and productivity - and not just the overall goals and assists. Of course that matters, but you know what analytics can do. When you [hash] out his numbers, his numbers are up there with the big money guys, there's no question about that.

Whether the Leafs think it's fair or not, hey - individually, you deserve what you earn, and in this case, I think, given the fact that the cap is going up, the game is changed financially. William Nylander has definitely earned that [$11M AAV]." - Darren Dreger

Now it seems like if the Leafs will retain Nylander, they will have to shell out their fourth contract well over $10 million per year this offseason.