via Sportsnet,
Elliotte Friedman is back for another edition of Saturday Headlines to discuss the Toronto Maple Leafs closing in on a long term extension with William Nylander, provides an update on Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard, and more.
"I do believe the AAV for Nylander is going to be around $11.5M."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 7, 2024
Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC 📰 pic.twitter.com/Y4ZQbDI6dg
How can Toronto afford 4 guys making more than 10 million next year? I just don't see him often enough to render an opinion - but - do you guys/gals think Nylander is worth 11 million?
40 goals last season and on pace for a similar number this year. That alone is leaves little doubt he could get $11M on the open market if he was to get there. He's worth what he can get.
Toronto's problem is no player is taking a team-friendly deal to make sure they have resources to fill out the roster. Matthews, Marner and Tavares are all good players but they are all getting paid top dollar for their output. If each had come in $1M less they'd have the money they need for a good goaltender.
It'll be interesting to see if his new contract includes any sort of NTC. The smartest solution for Toronto would likely be to trade Nylander for a defensive and/or goalie upgrade because all this firepower isn't likely to get them the results they want. Otherwise they'll have to wait for Tavares and Marner's deals to expire after next season to try and balance the roster.
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