Another day, another William Nylander trade rumour. Ever since his infamous contract holdout in 2018, Nylander has been on the trade block in the minds of many fans and even some members of the media. If you don't have an uncle who insists that Nylander is the Leafs' biggest problem, odds are that you're probably that uncle.
Now that Nylander is up for renewal again, the trade rumours have returned. His reported asking price of $10 million or more per season is only adding fuel to the fire. The problem is, without an extension beyond this season, there is no way to get proper value for the 40-goal, 87-point scoring winger.
The latest rumour comes from nhltraderumour.com. They think that Nylander will be heading to the St. Louis Blues for a package that includes defenseman Colton Parayko, who has 6 years left at $6.5 million and a full no trade clause. Also included would be Jake Neighbors and a 2024 first round pick.
Parayko is 32 years old, past his prime and will not be worth his contract in any way, shape or form in the coming years. Neighbors was a first round pick in 2020, but hasn't made a significant impact at the NHL level, certainly not enough to be the centerpiece of a Nylander trade. A first round pick, even unprotected, is simply not enough to balance the scales here.
Why would the Leafs even consider this trade? It wouldn't improve the team and wouldn't save them a significant amount of cap space either. In fact, it would actually hurt their long term cap situation. I understand that making up trade rumours is a good way to draw clicks, but this one isn't even remotely believable, nor was there a credible source attached to the post. Go ahead and mark this one down as false information.
