The deadline for the Maple Leafs to sign Nylander to be eligible for this season is Saturday at 5:00 pm ET
TSN: Bob McKenzie on Insider Trading said there have been many rumors regarding William Nylander floating around – that he was in Toronto, another that he was signed but they were awaiting a formal announcement.
“Our best information is that is not the case, that there’s still some work to be done. Now when could it get done? As we’ve said all along it could take just one phone call, it could be done just like that. But with the deadline now on Saturday at 5 PM EST, theres a really strong feeling that both sides, one or the other, feels that they might get their best offer from the other side right at the deadline. So now it goes to deadline, stay tuned, same old deal.”
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet: It’s possible that John Tavares, William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could take up almost half of the Toronto Maple Leafs salary cap next season – Tavares ($11 million), Nylander ($6.85 million?), Matthews ($12 million?) and Marner ($9.5 million?).
Even if the Maple Leafs can get Nylander signed to a bit less than $7 million, they still have the cap space to add a significant rental player at the deadline this season if they want.
To do so they would need to move draft picks or prospects, which may be costly in that they need affordable players to fill out their roster when the big four take up a large portion of the cap.
TSN: AIK Sports Director Anders Gozzi told Aftonbladet and through google translate that Nylander has been skating with the junior team of AIK. He was on the ice with them Monday.
“Yes, in the autumn, he has been training with our J20 team in the afternoons and evenings,” Gozzi said per Aftonbladet, via Google translate.
