William Nylander has remained one of the more talked about players in Toronto this summer, but not for many of the right reasons. On one hand, he did set new career highs in goals, with 40, and points, with 87, but has yet to sign a contract extension, which has led to plenty of trade speculation.
There have been a bevy of rumours regarding Nylander this summer, most often linking him to other Canadian teams such as the Flames, Canucks and Canadiens. There was also a rumour floating around that his former GM, Lou Lamoriello, could take a swing on bringing Nylander to Long Island. However, Leafs GM Brad Treliving poured cold water on Nylander trade speculation this week.
Treliving took part in an interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun this week to discuss his first offseason as GM in Toronto and what still needs to be done. The veteran GM seemed to be convinced that a Nylander extension will get done and, like Nylander, he does not appear to be in any sort of a rush.
So, there you have it. Treliving reveals that he's not looking to move Nylander and will instead keep his focus on signing his star winger to an extension either at some point this offseason, during the upcoming season or next summer.
Nylander is a unique player who does not seem to be bothered by outside noise in the least. Obviously, this is very important, he plays in one of the most volatile markets in the NHL. For Nylander, he's taking a huge risk coming into this season without a contract extension in place. An injury or any form of offensive struggle may decrease his value heading into next summer, when he's set to become a UFA. However, another big season may put him in a position to request even more than he is now.
