Nylander Deal Gives Maple Leafs Best Chance of Stanley Cup Amid NHL Rumors

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs and forward William Nylander are far apart on an extension for the 27-year-old star.

Despite the current status quo of the negotiations, it would remain in the best interest of both the team and the player to come to an agreement on a new deal.

Above all else, Nylander is a star player who accounted for 40 goals, 47 assists and his best shooting percentage since the 2015-16 season. Five of those goals were game winners, reflecting his ability to deliver in big spots.

It would be incredibly difficult to find a replacement that can account for all that

Letting him walk as an unrestricted free agent would be a massive mistake for the Leafs' front office and should be considered out of the question.

A trade in hopes of recouping something for a player of his quality would typically be the alternative option but as LeBrun points out, that is difficult in the current landscape.

"As talented a player as Nylander is, what the Leafs have found out this week is that his trade market isn't nearly as robust as we might have predicted. There's just no cap room out there, and any team trading for Nylander would want him extended."

There is also the issue of the impending Auston Matthews deal, which will be equally as difficult to complete given the team is already over the cap.

Despite the cap issues, the Matthews deal and potential trade options, LeBrun believes the team will continue working to find a way to keep Nylander in Toronto. "There appears to be a sizeable gap. But my sense is the Leafs will just keep hammering away at it hoping to find a path to an extension."

And it should.

Whether it succeeds or not remains to be seen but absent a trade partner that is willing to pay up to extend Nylander (and is not on his list of 10 no-trade candidates), the team must work on presenting the forward a deal that is both team-friendly but also reflective of the contributions of the player.

Nylander is part of one of the most formidable offenses in the NHL. While the defense is suspect, the offense is and always has been Toronto's guiding force. It is what sets the Leafs apart from other teams in a loaded Eastern Conference and is what the organization has built around.

Losing Nylander by trade or through free agency would leave a hole that, without an immediate replacement, would severely hamper the Leafs' ability to hoist the Stanley Cup that has eluded the Original Six franchise since 1967.

Toronto either gets the deal done before the end of next season (and, preferably, way before then) or watches a key player in its pursuit of hockey's ultimate prize walk away with nothing to show for it, neither in the trophy case nor the spot he once occupied on the roster.