William Nylander addresses the rampant trade rumours around him
With another unsuccessful season coming to a close for the Toronto Maple Leafs, today marked the true end as the team held its end-of-season media availability. This gave a chance for the media to speak with the players one last time before the offseason officially kicks off.
As the Leafs have plenty of question marks remaining in regards to what their roster will look like come next September, pending UFA's and members of the Leafs Core 4 have emphasized their interest in running it back next season. One player, in particular, was star forward, William Nylander.
Nylander stated that he "loves it here" and he "doesn't want to be anywhere else". He then mentioned how it's his goal to win with this group and continue to find success with the organization that raised him; "This is where I want to win".
After the Leafs finally got over the hump of winning a first-round playoff series, they quickly came crashing down in five games to the Florida Panthers in round two with many calling for significant change. Nylander's name has been amongst the players to be rumoured to be on the way out due to his outstanding contract in comparison to other members of the Core 4 being locked up and not on as good of a deal.
Nylander is coming off of a career season in goals, assists, and points with the Buds where he played in all 82 games. To top that, he also accomplished his first 40-goal season and solidified himself as one of the game's top elite goal scorers. For the 2022-23 campaign, he scored 40 goals and had 47 assists tallying 87 points.
With Nylander signing a 6-year, $45,000,000 deal back in December of 2018, he is set to hit free agency as a UFA in 2024 with the hopes of signing with the Leafs long-term. If he is adamant about getting a deal done before 2024, he is eligible for an extension with the organization in July. As of right now, Nylander's contract is deemed to be one of the best amongst the NHL based on his value compared to the price the Leafs got him for; therefore, he's due for a massive pay raise.
The Leafs front office has some major decisions to make in regards to the Core 4, but if Nylander had the choice of staying long-term in Toronto, he's made it clear that he would.
| POLL | ||
Will William Nylander still be a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs come September? | ||
| Yes, absolutely he will be | 5 | 55.6 % |
| No, I don't think so | 4 | 44.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
