Leafs' Nylander thinks everyone is overreacting about his next contract
It’s often said there are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Toronto Maple Leafs fans arguing about William Nylander’s next contract.
Having spent his entire career in Toronto, Nylander has been the target of constant rumours this offseason due to having just one year left on a six-year, $45 million deal signed back in 2018.
With the possibility to hit free agency next summer and no real rumours about a long-term extension being close, Nylander’s found his name splattered across all sorts of trade proposals and ways for the Leafs to maximize his value should he be departing next summer anyway.
But speaking to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in a yet-to-be-released interview, Nylander seems to be pretty chill about the whole ordeal — and his long-term prospects in Toronto.
“The most relaxed man in hockey. ‘Lots of time’ to sort out his contract, says there’s nowhere else he wants to be than Toronto,” Friedman tweeted on Wednesday. “Doesn’t see why everyone is spending so much time discussing it.”
The most relaxed man in hockey. “Lots of time” to sort out his contract, says there’s nowhere else he wants to be than Toronto. Doesn’t see why everyone is spending so much time discussing it. pic.twitter.com/V7RBYNNwxM
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 23, 2023
“I love it here. I don’t want to be anywhere else,” Nylander said to the media at his end-of-season press conference earlier this spring.
Nylander had his best season yet with Toronto this past year, putting up 40 goals and 47 assists in 82 games. Over the course of his eight seasons with the team, he has 177 goals and 253 assists across 521 games.
Back in 2018, Nylander missed the first two months of the season while he was in ongoing contract negotiations with the Leafs, which ended up being the longest in-season holdout in league history.
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