Will the Leafs trade Jake Gardiner or sign him to an extension?
TSN Radio: James Mirtle of the Athletic was on Toronto’s TSN 1050 radio station and during that interview, he said: “I think that this new management with [Kyle] Dubas and Brandon Pridham and Laurence Gilman is going to try and not lose good players for nothing in free agency. That would mean deciding right now whether you want to sign Jake Gardiner to a contract extension or moving him and getting something back…”
Because the organization already let Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, and Leo Komarov walk for no return, the organization would prefer not to repeat history and Mirtle reports the franchise has met with Gardiner to discuss a potential extension. Mirtle explained, “I know that Gardiner’s agent Pat Brisson–the same agent as Tavares–has met with Kyle Dubas and talked about Jake Gardiner’s contract.” The idea behind meeting now is to determine “whether they want to meet that price or not.”
At the end of the day, if Gardiner is looking for a long-term big money deal, it may not be with Toronto and the Leafs will have to know what options are available to them in trade.
What will the Leafs do with William Nylander?
The Hockey News: William Nylander is a restricted free agent whose contract negotiation could drag on throughout the offseason. Nylander is coming off an entry-level contract and lack arbitration rights. With the Leafs facing Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner needing big raises by next summer as well as the need to re-sign or replace defenseman Jake Gardiner next July, a short-term bridge deal might be best for Nylander and the Leafs. There has been some speculation suggesting the Leafs trade Nylander for a top-pairing defenseman the Leafs likely see him as a long-term part of their future.
