Nylander signs

[Devlin]

8 yr $92 million

[pwskelly]

I wonder if this means that they're going to try and move Marner? Considering that the Leafs have about 60% of their cap locked up in Matthews, Marner, O'Reilly, Tavares, and Nylander that doesn't leave a ton left to solve their defense issues nor does it help their goaltending. The other wrinkle is the fact that all 5 of these guys have no-movement clauses so even if they find a willing buyer for Marner, there is no guarantee that he'd agree to be moved.

Nylander is probably one of the more deserving players for this type of contract, however, and I do think the Leafs had little choice but lock him up for the foreseeable future.

[jameslacarte]

Personally I would have traded him for the D Men we so badly need right now.
I haven't really been a big Nylander fan over the years but that is changing. His commitment to playing D has grown by leaps & bounds & he competes for the puck in the corners, something he would never have done a few years ago.
Our Core 4 & Reilly now take up almost 50 million of our soon to be 87.7 million cap for next year. Next year we are going to have to sign roughly 17 players for approximately 37 Million. I'm not sure what that's going to look like but it's not going to be easy. Also at some point we are going to have to pay Joseph Woll too
I'm not sure when Tavares contract ends but I don't see the Leafs resigning him. They can't afford to..
I sure hope they don't move Marner, he makes this team tick. When a line is not producing what do the Leafs do? They add Marner to that line.
Look at our last 4 or 5 Cup Champs, they all have a stellar Defense & built out from there. The Leafs have done the opposite & until last year weren't able to get past the 1st round of the playoffs.
I was hoping that when the Leafs hired treliving that things would change but I was wrong. Same old crap on a different day!!

[RGM81]

It's a big contract but Nylander has earned it. This removes any talk of him going to free agency, giving both him and the team security knowing that he's locked up long-term. Whatever one wants to say about the "Core Four" and their impact on the Leafs' cap situation, sometimes you just have to do these things.

FWIW Tavares only has one year left on his current contract. He will be a UFA at the end of the 2024-25 season when he is 34 years old, and will be 35 when the 2025-26 season starts (September b-day). He may retire at that point, he may return, but either way it'll be a shorter-term deal and much lower salary.

[icefields]

i am a leafs fan but i would of traded that floater before opening the vault for him.
might've been able to net two hard nosed Dmen.
yet another foolish signing by the leafs.
88 may have talent and he does but he only plays in the offensive end. he does not come back or go into the corners
like a matthews, knies, heck anybody on the leafs.
trading a chance to acquire cup worthy players for that soft boiled egg.

[subban7677]

Nylander is one hell of a player, but the Leafs are in a real cap pickle.

[jameslacarte]

i am a leafs fan but i would of traded that floater before opening the vault for him.
might've been able to net two hard nosed Dmen.
yet another foolish signing by the leafs.
88 may have talent and he does but he only plays in the offensive end. he does not come back or go into the corners
like a matthews, knies, heck anybody on the leafs.
trading a chance to acquire cup worthy players for that soft boiled egg.

I agree. The last year or so he's been playing D but that was for his upcoming contract year & I wouldn't be surprised to see him go back to his loafer ways. Now he has a full no trade clause so we couldn't get rid of him even if he wanted to & you can guarantee Nylander knows this as well.
Some teams were offering the Leafs 2 solid D Men for him but why would the Leafs do that? It makes no sense to me!!
Either way I will stick by my Leafs, mostly because I am a sucker for punishment!!

[morasha7]

I agree. The last year or so he's been playing D but that was for his upcoming contract year & I wouldn't be surprised to see him go back to his loafer ways. Now he has a full no trade clause so we couldn't get rid of him even if he wanted to & you can guarantee Nylander knows this as well.
Some teams were offering the Leafs 2 solid D Men for him but why would the Leafs do that? It makes no sense to me!!
Either way I will stick by my Leafs, mostly because I am a sucker for punishment!!

He claims he wants to win the Cup. He'll have to play defense for us to have any hope of winning, since we won't be able to afford someone to cover for him, lol.

[jameslacarte]

He claims he wants to win the Cup. He'll have to play defense for us to have any hope of winning, since we won't be able to afford someone to cover for him, lol.

So far so good!! It was his 1st game after signing his contract & he actually played D tonight.
I luv these guys who say Nylander is our best player. All I say to that is check the stats. Marner is our best player with Matthews right there with him.
Marner & Nylander came in the same year, 16-17. In that span Nylander has played more total games than Marner & Marner has 100 point more in a dozen or so less games. Case closed!! 1 good year doesn't make you a teams best player.
I do think that Nylander has learned over the last couple years that more offence comes from playing D & it shows in his stats this year.

[icefields]

Keefe FINALLY called out Nylander the floating dogger
should of done this long ago but the media would of destroyed him for it while wee willie was putting up points
bench his butt for a period or two
although i believe it was done before and nothing changed.
nylander is what he is. we hafta accept it and move on.
leafs will not win the cup with or because of nylander
should of gotten a couple 6 ft 6 inch tuff dmen for him