Brad Treliving has spent his first summer as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, working on two of the most important deals for the franchise. As of July 1st, both Auston Matthews and William Nylander have become eligible for new contracts to begin next season. Without those deals both Matthews and Nylander are set to become unrestricted free agents next July. That is something the Leafs can't afford.
While news ran rampant earlier this summer about the contract negotiations things have gone quiet. Reports still continue to surface from time to time that the Maple Leafs are looking at potential trades involving Nylander. Even with those trade rumors, it appears that Nylander still hopes to remain a member of the Maple Leafs.
Nylander recently sat down the Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek for an interview, while the two were in Sweden. As is usually the case Nylander was calm, cool and relaxed. During the interview, Nylander gave his thoughts on his contract negotiations, and while stating he only wants to play in Toronto, Nylander's timeline for his new contract won't sit well with fans.
In many markets this would be positive news, but in a media crazed market like Toronto, every single day that Nylander doesn't sign a new day is only going to make things more frenzied. With approximately three weeks before training camps begin, the Maple Leafs could look to find some sort of closure to this matter sooner than later.
