Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander (88) skates during first period NHL action against the Buffalo Sabres Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Buffalo, N.Y. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jeffrey T. Barnes
TORONTO – William Nylander will be in a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater for years to come.
Nylander has agreed to an eight-year deal with the Maple Leafs worth US$92 million, the NHL team confirmed Monday.
It is the largest contract in Maple Leafs history by total value and includes a no-movement clause.
The 27-year-old Nylander has 21 goals and 33 assists through 37 games this season.
Toronto drafted Nylander eighth overall in the 2014 draft. He has 198 goals and 286 assists over 558 career games with the Maple Leafs with a plus-28 defensive rating.
Nylander was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season.
Toronto now has approximately $45.75 million locked up in its so-called “core four” of Nylander. centre Auston Matthews, captain John Tavares and star winger Mitch Marner next season.
Defenceman Morgan Rielly is also is in the second year of an eight-year contract worth $7.5 million a season. Those five players account for more than 60 per cent of the Maple Leafs’ salary cap space.
All five have no-movement clauses in their deals.
Nylander was named an all-star for the first time last season and went on to reach career highs with 40 goals and 47 assists.
The two sides came to an agreement before his current deal, signed in 2018, came to an end.
That deal was the result of a tough negotiation that saw Nylander skip training camp and refuse to play for the team until coming to terms on a six-year, $45 million contract on Dec. 1, the deadline for restricted free agents to come to terms with the team holding their NHL rights.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2024.
