Nylander 'Not Going Anywhere Soon'


General manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs Kyle Dubas told the Toronto star on Friday that William Nylander will not be traded.

“I’ve been asked, ‘Do you want to trade him right now?’ And the answer is, 'No,’” Dubas said. “Circumstances can change. But it’s not in any plan or any discussion we’ve had that we’re going to trade any of these players.” said Dubas. "Our goal is to have them each develop and maximize their potential here.”

Nylander was third in scoring for the Maple Leafs last season. Finishing with 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games. Ahead of him were Auston Matthews with 63 points (34 goals, 29 assists) in 62 games, and Mitch Marner with 69 points (22 goals, 47 assists) in 82 games.

With John Tavares signing a $77 million contract in the offseason the big question was, and still is: will the Maple Leafs be able to sign Nylander, Marner and Matthews. Matthews and Marner can become restricted free agents at the end of the season, but both were eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1.

“Those discussions with their representatives are ongoing,” Dubas said. “I know everybody would like everything to happen quickly, but there’s a process we go through. Would we like to have had it all sorted out and done on the first day? Yes, but I don’t think that’s realistic.

Kyle Dubas has made it very clear that his goal is to sign Nylander to a long term contract.

"With any player coming off of his entry level, it’s always, 'Is it long term or is it bridge?’” Dubas said. “The long term is where both parties, our camp and their camp, have been focused on. Those ones are often the hardest ones to do, because they are a much bigger decision for the player and a much bigger decision for the team.”

Nylander has 135 points in 185 career games with the Maple Leafs (48 goals, 87 assists.)