latest in William Nylander And Matt Murrayupdate on Alex DeBrinkatand more at today’s NHL rumor mill.
Leafs reports, Nylander is very far away in contract talks
Hockey News: Nick Bardeen cited TSN’s Chris Johnston’s recent report claiming contract extension talks between Toronto Maple Leafs And William Nylander “It’s not going well.” The 27-year-old winger is one year away from unrestricted free agent status and carries an average annual cap of just under $7 million on his current contract.
Johnston said that the two sides had “a lot of discussions” during the draft in Nashville but that they “see the world differently at this point in time.” He claimed that Nylander sees himself as a $10 million player based on his points, but that the Leafs are trying to get him a lower number.
Toronto Sun: Lance Hornby reminds us that the Nylander and the Leafs played contract chickens during the first half of the 2018-19 season when he was a restricted free agent. And the staring contest came down to the December 1 deadline before both sides could agree to his current deal.
Hornby points out that Nylander hit career highs this season with 40 goals and 87 points. The winger was also fourth in the playoffs in scoring with 10 points despite seeing less ice time than Austin Mathews and Mitch Marner.
Leafs general manager Brad Treleving is reportedly offering the Nylander AAV camp $9 million. Meanwhile, a new contract for Matthews must be concluded before next summer and a new deal for Marner monitored before the summer of 2025.
Spectator’s note: The previous encounter with Nylander’s contract didn’t sit well with some Leafs fans, who used it as a stick against the winger whenever he didn’t live up to their expectations. Further lengthy negotiations would probably lead them to ask Treliving to trade him in as soon as possible for the best possible return.
Treliving wasn’t the general manager during Nylander’s 2018 contract talks. However, he did inherit limited cover room from his predecessor, who had no problem cashing in on Matthews, Marner, and John Tavares.
At the time, the argument was that Nylander was not in the same class as his three leading teammates. However, he has steadily improved since 2018-19 to a point-per-game player. He has also developed a reputation as a reliable performer.
As Johnston said, Nylander made a reasonable argument that it’s $10 million per player per season. If the Leafs don’t pay him that much, other clubs will, especially if he enters the open market next summer with a salary cap expected to jump dramatically after four seasons of stagnation.
I think the Leaves will open the cellar for Matthews and Marner but not for Nylander. He could end up playing elsewhere in 2024-25 as a free agent unless the Leafs decide to trade him this summer. Either way, I expect him to shine for his new club to the consternation of his critics in Toronto.
Papers trying to trade Murray
The result: Sean O’Leary quoted Chris Johnston as saying that the Leafs are trying to get rid of the final season of goaltender Matt Murray’s contract for salary cap relief. He’s on their books for $4.6 million for 2023-24 before becoming UFA next summer.
According to Johnston, the foliage favors commerce. However, they may benefit from a second takeover window if the deal fails to materialize. Teams can use this second possession window if they have a player applying for salary arbitration. Free agent restricted goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov You can choose to go down this path. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on July 5th.
Observer’s Note: Murray’s injury history and 10-team no-trade clause may make the acquisition more likely than the trade.
The latest in DEBRINCAT
sportscent: Wayne Scanlan considered three possible scenarios for Ottawa Senators wing Alex DeBrinkat. The 25-year-old free-agent restricted winger reportedly would prefer a trade to the American club but the Senators are having a hard time finding a suitable deal.
One result is DeBrincat returning to the Senators this season with an arbitration deal. However, the club has submitted a request to arbitration which means the maximum award will be 15 percent lower than what its qualifying bid ($9 million) would have been. They could try to move him later in the season near the trade deadline or keep him for a possible playoff run.
Another sees him sign a bridge agreement with the Senators for two or three years. That would buy the Senators more time to find a suitable trade package while DeBrincat could become UFA at 27 or 28 and a lot of cash on the open market.
The other most likely outcome is a trade. It will depend on the Senators finding a returnee who helps them now while the DeBrincat camp finds a contract they can live with, though perhaps not the long-term deal they recently envisioned.
Bystander note: It may be in DeBrincat’s interest to accept a short-term deal to facilitate the trade. The cap will rise significantly in 2024-25 and 2025-26. He will then be in a better position to find a more profitable long-term deal either with his new team or on the open market.
Speaking of commerce, Sportsnet’s Reporting by Jeff Marek the Detroit Red Wings And New York Islanders Stay in the DeBrincat sweepstakes.
Do Sharks and Canucks Work in Myers’ Trade Against Labanc?
San Jose Hockey Now: Sheng Peng cited Frank Serravalle of The Daily Vesuv who reported on San Jose Sharks And Vancouver Canucks You have a deal on the table that involves the Canucks defender Tyler Myers. It would see Myers go straight to San Jose as a winger Kevin LaBanque.
To date, this deal has not yet materialized. Seravalli claimed that the Canucks were angry that this offer had been on the table for some time now.
Bing speculates that the Sharks would prefer to wait until Myers receives a $5 million signing bonus on September 1. After that, the Sharks will only have to pay him $1 million of his remaining actual salary, though the $6 million cap will count towards his cover salary for the season.
SPECTATOR NOTE: If that’s the case, I expect the Sharks will have communicated this to the Canucks by now. The delay may also be due to the efforts of the trade sharks Eric Carlson.