When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Auston Matthews to a four-year $53M deal on August 23rd many Leaf fans were wondering when William Nylander would follow with pen to paper. The months of come and went with many contract discussions taking place between Nylander's camp and Toronto. At times the AAV appeared to be rising so high that fans felt #88's time in Toronto could be coming to an end. With the calendar moving to 2024 it finally appears like Nylander and Toronto are coming to terms on a contract.
Nylander appears to be close to signing an eight -year contract worth $92M. It will be a mixed bag reaction from the fan base. Some will wonder how a player with a career high 87 points can receive a contract with this AAV. Others will be happy it is finally signed.
The hosts of Sportsnet 590 The FAN JD Bunkis and Sam McKee discussed how William may have taken a page out of his dad Michael's book who was known to be a ruthless negotiator who doesn't factor in sentimental value of the team in anyway.
The 27 year old is in the midst of a career season with 21 goals and 54 points in 37 games. The way he has been driving force on almost every shift he takes has been a joy to watch this season. The question many Leaf fans have to ask themselves is will this play continue for the majority of his next contract?
POLL | ||
Who out of the big four contracts on the team leaves first? | ||
Auston Matthews | 83 | 15.4 % |
Mitch Marner | 179 | 33.3 % |
John Tavares | 241 | 44.8 % |
William Nylander | 35 | 6.5 % |
List of polls |