During the 2nd intermission of the Toronto Maple Leafs' win over the San Jose Sharks last night, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman dropped a bombshell report saying that Nylander and the Leafs could announce an extension as early as Monday. Friedman reported that it will reportedly come in at around $11.5M per season on an 8-year deal.
Nylander promptly made his presence known by adding two goals in the third period to his first period assist. Following the game, Nylander was asked if he and the Leafs had a deal in place. His immediate smirk may have been the tip of the hand everyone was looking for.
Nylander is having a phenomenal year, which started with a franchise record 17-game point streak to open the season. In 37 games with the Leafs, he has recorded at least a point in 33 of them and has tallied 21 goals and 54 points so far. He is on pace for 120 points this season and will likely make his first All-Star appearance as well.
While Leaf fans anxiously await the official announcement, many have begun to wonder how this new deal will affect Mitch Marner's extension, which he is eligible to sign on July 1st. Not only that, but with the new extension for Auston Matthews kicking in, the Leafs will have 4 players making $10.9M or more next season, which does not leave much room to fill out the remaining roster spots, even with the salary cap increase expectations.
