LEAFS WANT TO HAVE NYLANDER DEAL DONE BY ALL-STAR

TORONTO, ON — As the Toronto Maple Leafs inch towards the end of a Californian roadtrip where they took the first two games against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, contract negotiations between the club and William Nylander’s agent have risen up a notch.

Nylander, 27, is enjoying a career-season and is on pace for 116 points after registering 40 goals and 87 points last season. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and that has escalated contract talks between the two sides.

According to separate sources, the Maple Leafs are hoping to get Nylander locked into an eight-year extension this month, prior to All-Star Weekend (Feb. 1-3), which the team and city hosts in four weeks. Later this evening, the NHL will reveal its 32 All-Stars, with the remaining 12 participants coming via a fan vote. It would be a little surprising to see Nylander not named, though Auston Matthews leads the NHL in goals.

In the off-season, Nylander’s camp held firm on their demands; they were looking for a contract north of $10 million per season, while the Leafs were reportedly in the $9 million AAV range. Those numbers have since increased and Nylander’s camp is believed to be looking for more than $11 million per year. The Leafs, per sources, have been more receptive based on the season Nylander has put together.

Various reports have suggested David Pastrnak’s eight-year, $90 million contract – $11.25 million per year – is what Nylander and his agent Lewis Gross are looking for. That could end up being the end result, but that’s not an exact figure I’ve been able to confirm one way or another. But if Gross is now asking for over $11 million annually, it’s in the ballpark.

Leafs GM Brad Treliving and President Brendan Shanahan will need to be aligned on the final numbers, and it’s starting to sound like Toronto understands they cannot let Nylander walk out the door this summer.

Structure, bonuses and no-trade protection are all part of the negotiation process. Nylander has remained adamant about wanting to stay in Toronto long-term and with the salary cap going up next season, and in each following season in the foreseeable future (barring any drastic global interference), the Leafs should be able to navigate their finances accordingly to accommodate another eight-figure contract.

Looking at Toronto’s future cap situation, two players pop up immediately: John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

Tavares and his $11 million AAV will come off the books after the 2024-25 season. He will be 34, going on 35. A short-term extension could be ironed out starting July 1, but the Leafs captain’s cap hit will drop back into the seven-figures – by how much, though, is unclear.

Marner will without a doubt demand a raise and there is already chatter he will be looking for at least $13 million per year on his next contract. And if you look at the numbers and consider his new deal won’t kick in until the 2025-26 campaign when the cap should fall in the $90M-$92M range, that is not far fetched.

Since he put up 94 points in 2018-19, Marner has eclipsed 90 points in each of the last two seasons and was on pace for over 90 points in the two covid-shortened seasons. He is currently on pace for 89 points this year and should surpass 90 for the third-straight season – presumably, that’s six consecutive 90+ point pace seasons.

Marner’s next contract is a topic for another day – like Tavares, he cannot sign an extension until July 1, at the earliest – but he will be atop Toronto’s priority list once the off-season arrives.

For now, the focus is on Nylander and getting his new eight-year deal figured out. Even with some tidbits of intel seeping through the cracks, negotiations remain very tight-lipped. But both sides are working away, and pen could meet paper later this month.

HERE AND THERE

• As we’ve reported this week, the Calgary Flames have been engaged in trade talks involving some of their players, including – and more specifically – their defencemen. Noah Hanifin, ranked No.2 on the TFP Trade Watch List, has been on a few teams’ radars, including the New Jersey Devils. Trade talks seem to be ongoing, and this could be something that materializes leading up to the deadline, if not much sooner.

• The Montreal Canadiens, already active in the trade market with the likes of Jake Allen and David Savard available, announced this morning that forward Christian Dvorak will undergo surgery tomorrow on a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season. That could potentially free up an extra $4.15M in extra LTIR cap pace, and we all know the Habs aren’t against weaponizing their cap space as a third-party facilitator.

• Now that the calendar has flipped, contract talks are expected to pick up between the Pittsburgh Penguins and star forward Jake Guentzel, who is playing on an expiring contract. As long as the Pens remain in the thick of the playoff race and aren’t told Guentzel won’t sign, GM Kyle Dubas isn’t going to consider moving him.

• Add the Detroit Red Wings to the long list of teams looking to improve their blueline. Man, they could certainly use a defenceman like Filip Hronek right about now.