The latest rumors on Leafs’ Nylander and where the Rangers stand
The December 1st deadline to sign RFA, William Nylander is quickly approaching and there’s very little movement in terms of a new contract with the Leafs. Here’s the latest on this prized young star.
Nylander Bridge Deal?
Hockey Insider, Bob McKenzie maintains that priority one for Toronto is to get Nylander signed to a long term deal. There is a rumor floating around that both sides could agree to a bridge deal of 3-4 years at around the $5M mark.
In my opinion, if this was a legit possibility, why wouldn’t this have been done in the offseason and avoid this circus? Truth is likely that is what Toronto wants but not Nylander.
Hurricane Force Trade Winds
The hottest buzz on a Nylander trade continues to come from Carolina. Canes’ GM, Don Waddell said he is interested and believes many other teams have spoken to Leafs’ GM, Kyle Dubas as well. Toronto is looking to bolster their defense and Carolina seems to be a perfect trade partner.
Other Buzz
According to ESPN’s Pierre Lebrun the list of teams in the Nylander hunt is expansive. They include:
- Los Angeles Kings
- Minnesota Wild
- Anaheim Ducks
- Florida Panthers
- St. Louis Blues
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Arizona Coyotes
- Colorado Avalanche
Notice that the Rangers are not listed in that mix. According to Bob McKenzie, he feels the Rangers don’t seem to have a fit. On TSN he said, “New York Rangers have no cap issues. They’d love to have William Nylander, but they don’t have a fit either.”
If the reason for the no-fit is their unwilling to part with a defenseman, I think that would be foolish on the Rangers part. I explained that making Brady Skjei available is reasonable with the emergence of Neal Pionk and the Rangers deep defensive prospect pool.
For More on the Rangers and Nylander click here.
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