New Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka has begun his very busy offseason. It started with a stroke of luck and winning the draft lottery. His next move was to fire head coach Craig Berube. Could a player like William Nylander be on the docket next?
Insider Chris Johnson said on his podcast Tuesday that everyone except their captain is at the negotiating table.
One of the things that other teams have told me is that the message that has come from the Leafs front office is that they are willing to discuss any player on their roster, except for Auston Matthews. They're willing to listen to you talk about any player except Matthews.
Wait... does this mean William Nylander is available? Obviously it is so.
“I found it interesting that they were willing to listen to a lot of players who maybe, in the past, were not in the previous administration.”
Even MLSE CEO Keith Pelley publicly identified Nylander, along with Matthews, as the 'foundational pieces' he believed the Maple Leafs to have.
However, we must keep in mind that Nylander has a full no-move clause, so it's not like Chayka could send him out as they see fit. But this is the first time, as CJ said, that the Leafs have ever suggested (even indirectly, in this case) that Nylander might be available.
If this becomes a thing, Toronto could land a big deal for a player of Willey's caliber. He had three consecutive 40-goal seasons this year, and although he dropped off significantly, down to only 30 goals, he was limited to 65 games. He had not missed a game of an 82-game schedule for three years prior to this.
Nylander has six years remaining at an $11.5 million cap hit. Not that any club trading for him would get a team-friendly deal by any means, but at least, it's cost certainty in an era where the salary cap is constantly rising, and who knows where the contracts are going to go.
If Matthews is the only 'untouchable', who else are the Leafs listening to?
But Nylander isn't the only name Chayka would like to hear. Based on the 'only Matthew is untouchable' parameters, that list can now extend to Matthew Nease and Easton Cowan, among others.
The story could still change regarding how Toronto's new front office feels about Matthews. They are working on meeting the Captain face-to-face in Arizona in the next little while. The big question we have about that meeting will be: Who should interview whom?
