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?

Insider Nick Kyprios dropped a bombshell rumor last week after the trade deadline. He suggested that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens went deep into blockbuster talks that could send Young Buds star Matthew Nease to their rival.

The Leafs find themselves in a dire situation, with a team languishing near the bottom of the NHL standings, and there isn’t much to rest on in their prospect wardrobe. Toronto is on a losing streak of eight consecutive matches and has not won a game in over a month.

A few deals at the deadline got them back a few draft picks – a first-rounder, a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth. But it will take much more than that to transform this organization.

This is where Neese’s conversation comes in – he’ll bring back a cool item, like, maybe Three Potentially Matthew Neese. And this is where Kyprios’ latest bombshell rumor comes in.

Leafs insider says team ‘open to talks’ on William Nylander

The Sportsnet insider (and former Leafs player) has doubled down on the hint. Speaking on the JD Bankis Show, he suggested that GM Brad Treliving is also willing to listen to a big name.

I heard they were willing to talk about (William Nylander), and they should. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone… I’ll figure everything out… Willie is no longer a non-starter for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kiper had more to say on the Nylander front.

“If you go off Nese and his ability to get you back three or four pieces, Willie (Nylander) is right there. Talented, talented guy who can put some teams over the top. Not to mention how much people will pay to see him.

He suggested they should also walk away from the Nuggets talks and instead “look at what Nylander’s ability would be to get you back in business.”

Of course, if you’re going to go there, you might as well hear about the captain, right?

Leafs will also have ‘serious conversations’ about Auston Matthews’ status

Multiple insiders have said the Leafs will talk with Auston Matthews after the season ends to figure out where his head is at.

As Pierre LeBrun wrote in The Athletic earlier this week, “Expect some serious talks between No. 34 (Matthews’ agent Judd) Moldaver and management this offseason. My personal feeling is it’s 50-50 on Matthews leaving or staying.”

We’ll leave Kyprios with the last word here, as the Leafs try to figure out how to pick up the pieces from a season that has gone from bad to disappointing to downright embarrassing.

“You just have to look at the reality here. The team is in the basement, and you have to consider all options to try to get better,” Kyprios said. “I don’t think (Treliving) is doing his job if he’s not having these types of conversations right now… You have to be proactive here.”

Buckle up, friends. It could be a wild ride of the offseason in Leaf Land.

2024-25 Season Stat Leaders (Mid-Season Trends)

• Top Goal Scorer: Emerging as a race between the league’s elite snipers.
• Most Assists: Playmakers are dominating the puck possession game.
• Highest Team Scoring: Offense-heavy teams are currently leading the standings.

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