NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on William Nylander, Jeff Skinner Contract Situations

The NHL season begins Oct. 3, but some of the major rumors around the league surround guys who have yet to hit the ice this preseason.

William Nylander is one of the most dynamic young players in hockey, but he still is without a contract. How close is he to finally joining the Toronto Maple Leafs?

And what is the status of another star winger in Jeff Skinner with his new club? The Buffalo Sabres are an emerging force in the NHL, although it remains to be seen if Skinner will be in their future.

Where's William?

After a late-night agreement between Shea Theodore and the Vegas Golden Knights, Nylander and Nick Ritchie of the Anaheim Ducks remain the NHL's last two unsigned restricted free agents, but more intrigue surrounds Nylander.

The 22-year-old is coming off back-to-back 61-point seasons, having missed just one game over that span. His speed and electric hands make him a top-line forward on almost any team, but right now it appears he still is not too close to showcasing his talents once again.

Appearing on Toronto's TSN 1050 Monday, NHL insider Darren Dreger said that Nylander's camp and the Maple Leafs still have not made much progress in contract talks:

"Last week we talked about the thinking that there was at least good dialogue happening between the two sides. I don't think that it's turned nasty in any way, shape or form, but I don't get the sense—unless something changed on the weekend—that there's as much back and forth going on as we maybe initially thought."

Fellow TSN NHL insider Bob McKenzie echoed this sentiment on Monday before Theodore was able to reach a deal:

Dreger speculated that if Nylander is looking for a long-term deal around $7.5 million annually, then the situation could drag on even longer. Why? The Maple Leafs have one of the more challenging cap situations brewing in the next two years.

Toronto is set to start its seven-year, $77 million commitment it handed out to John Tavares this season, and the team has a healthy $13 million in cap space this season. However, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews both see their rookie deals expire at the end of this season, putting them in the same spot as Nylander now.

Matthews is obviously the No. 1 priority, and it is safe to assume he will get somewhere around the eight-year, $80 million deal Jack Eichel got from the Sabres after his rookie deal. Toronto would also likely have to move Nathan Horton's $5.3 million salary-cap hit that expires after the 2019-20 season, but this will cost the team a high draft pick to do so.

With Horton, Jake Gardiner's $4.05 million and Ron Hainsey's $3 million off the books next offseason, this would give the Maple Leafs with roughly $15 million to spend between Marner and Nylander. That is doable, but it also ties up a massive portion of Toronto's overall cap space in Marner, Matthews, Nylander and Tavares, which makes it more difficult to afford the quality depth players, especially on defense, needed to make long playoff runs.

It also would leave goaltender Frederik Andersen's future in doubt, as he would likely not be able to get a sizable raise from his five-year, $25 million contract that expires after the 2020-21 season.

So unless Toronto tries to trade Nylander for high-end prospects and draft picks, it seems that he will likely have to accept a short-term bridge deal to suit up for the Maple Leafs. If Toronto does not yet want to invest in him long-term, Nylander may have no choice but to bet on himself and make his play force the Maple Leafs, or someone else, to eventually dish out a major contract on the budding star.

Skinner only a rental?

One of the major trade pieces to move this summer was Skinner, who was dealt to Buffalo after eight seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. The return was solid but not spectacular for a player of Skinner's ability, as the Hurricanes received a decent prospect in Cliff Pu along with a second-rounder in 2019 and a third- and sixth-rounder in 2020.

Why not anything major for a three-time 30-goal scorer? Skinner is set to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

It seems the Sabres' apparent apprehension to part with any significant assets for Skinner could be correct, as there is the possibility of him being a one-year rental, according to Dreger.

"This one for me is going to be interesting to see how it plans out," Dreger said last week on Buffalo's WGR 550. "There really hasn't been any discussion of a contract extension. 

"Both sides essentially agreed, 'Let's get the season going. Let’s see how Jeff is fitting in with the Buffalo Sabres."

Skinner is set to make $5.7 million this season, and given the nature of unrestricted free agency, he will likely receive a raise unless he flops in Buffalo. 

Like Toronto, Buffalo has some cap navigation to do. Potential superstars Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt will see their rookie contracts expire in three and two years, respectively. The Sabres will also have just $2.8 million in cap space for this season, but that number will greatly increase next offseason with Jason Pominville's $5.6 million and Matt Moulson's $3.98 million off the books in addition to Skinner.

The Sabres still have five years left at $6 million annually on the disappointing Kyle Okposo, but they can still manage that even with decisions to make on younger players like Nathan Beaulieu, Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson, who will all be restricted free agents this offseason.

Thus, it could be a tight squeeze, but the Sabres could make it work on a Skinner extension, but it will be all about the fit.

Skinner's speed and creativity should work well on the wing with Eichel or Mittelstadt. However, Skinner could become expendable if top prospects like Rasmus Asplund and Alex Nylander are able to make a splash in Buffalo's forwards group. There are certainly a lot of factors to watch here with one of the top free agent candidates of next offseason.

Contract information is courtesy of CapFriendly. Statistics are courtesy of hockeydb.com.