Brad Treliving prepared to give one of teams' star players an ultimatum as free agency approaches

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Josh tupper
June 10, 2023 (10:55)

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With the NHL Draft a few weeks away teams already have a lot on their plates, but for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who only have 3 draft picks this summer, July 1st is a much more important date. On July 1st both Auston Matthews and William Nylander become eligible for contract extensions.

When Treliving was hired rumors spread that the Maple Leafs were hoping to keep the Core Four intact, but now it appears that might not be the case. Last summer Treliving fell victim to Johnny Gaudreau leaving the Calgary Flames for nothing, after being strung along by his agent Lewis Gross.

William Nylander is also represented by Gross and it appears Treliving isn't falling for the same tricks again.

As we said, Treliving wants to re-sign Nylander, an unrestricted free agent in 2024, as well. But of interest here is some agent history. Nylander's rep, Lewis Gross, also represents Johnny Gaudreau, whose exit from Calgary left tire tracks on Treliving when he was GM there. So suffice it to say: Treliving isn't going to allow a song and dance to play out all season with Nylander, who now have at No. 10 on the trade board. It's "extension or else" in all probability.

Nylander previously shared that he's not thinking about a new contract and is focused on next season, a similar approach to what was taken by Gaudreau. Recently Nylander has begun to appear on multiple trade boards, even appearing as high as 10th on Frank Seravalli's Trade Board.

Only time will tell, but it appears that it's extension or trade when it comes to William Nylander.

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