Toronto Maple Leafs supporters should brace themselves for price shock, as insider Darren Dreger recently hinted at the probable cost of William Nylander’s new contract. Dreger stated unequivocally on the First Up podcast that the forward’s price tag is exorbitant. The contract is expected to be worth more than $11 million per season. Fans in Toronto, understandably, will be ecstatic. And, of course, questions about how this will effect the roster will arise.
Dreger emphasised the importance of taking into account Nylander’s remarkable numbers, pushing fans to look beyond the standard goals and assists measurements. According to Dreger, the experienced forward’s metrics place him among the league’s finest players, justifying the significant financial investment. In other words, he should be paid the same as the best players in the NHL. Nylander is most likely holding out to ensure he receives his money.
Despite the possible financial pressure on the Leafs’ budget, Dreger believes Nylander has earned this hefty contract extension. Another concern is whether the Maple Leafs can afford it.
He elaborated:
“You know we’ve got analytics people start crunching his numbers and and productivity and not just the overall goals and assists of course that matters but you know what analytics can do when you flush out his numbers his numbers are up there with the big money guys no question about that.”
Nylander has worked hard for every penny of his new contract.
With the wage cap increasing and the financial environment of the game shifting, Dreger believes Nylander’s performance and contributions deserve a large investment. Every cent of the rise will have to go to Nylander. This will have a cascading effect in Toronto this summer.
Brad Treliving indicated that the Maple Leafs will consider deals to boost their defence and discussed Nylander’s contract discussions.
As negotiations continue, Leafs Nation must accept that maintaining Nylander may come at a high cost, changing the roster in the process. Free agents will move on and make compromises. It’s unclear what those are yet.
“I think given the fact that the cap is going up the game is changed financially, William Nylander has definitely earned that,” Dreger went on to say. GM Brad Treliving may be kicking himself for not closing this trade sooner.
