Odds Say Leafs Won’t Trade Nylander Before Signing Deadline

• The odds are in on whether the Leafs will trade William Nylander by Dec. 1.
• There’s is no shortage of potential suitors, including the Hurricanes, Kings, and Rangers.
• Still, chances are Nylander remains in Toronto. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have won five of their last six and posted 25 goals through that stretch (4.2 GPG), and they’ve done that without William Nylander or Auston Matthews in their lineup. It’s downright scary to think how dominant they could be with those two back.

While Matthews should return from his shoulder injury in the next ten days, there still hasn’t been any movement on the Nylander front, as the restricted free agent continues his contract holdout. If Nylander does not sign an NHL contract by Dec. 1, he will be ineligible to play in the league this season.

There is sure to be a market for the hyper-skilled Swede, but would first-year GM Kyle Dubas really part ways with a 22-year-old forward who possesses so much talent? Sportsnet analyst Elliotte Friedman is feeling confident a trade will get triggered. However, Sportsbooks are sitting firmly on the other side of the fence in their latest NHL prop.

Odds Toronto trades William Nylander before Dec. 1st

If the Leafs do decide to move Nylander, the rumor winds are blowing toward the Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings as the likely destinations. Other teams often mentioned include the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, while the Sporting News recently tossed the New York Rangers into the mix as well. In fact, that rumor was so hot it even hit Barstool Sports.

Let's Make William Nylander A NY Ranger https://t.co/DLnvUc2PQb pic.twitter.com/BWZwQRGv1F

— 610 (@610Barstool) November 13, 2018

After being selected eighth overall in 2014, Nylander went from Modo in the Swedish Elite League right into the Leafs system and truly broke through over the past two seasons. Along with back-to-back 61-point campaigns, he’s also notched back-to-back 20-plus-goal seasons and added some playoff experience to his resume as well.

If Toronto locks him up, which the odds suggest is likely, they’ll also be adding some insurance to their lineup. Auston Matthews has missed almost a full month with his shoulder injury and is at risk of reaggravating it down the stretch. Losing his offensive prowess could prove very costly for the team’s playoff hopes unless they have an ace up their sleeve – a 22-year-old Swedish ace.

With that in mind and given the limited timeline, the likeliest option at this point would be a “bridge” contract, i.e. a short one-year deal which would both get him back on the ice immediately and also give the Leafs more time to find a longterm solution, whether that solution is (a) locking him up with a multi-year deal or (b) finding a better suitor at the trade deadline.