Explore reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs may prioritize signing William Nylander to an 8-year $10.5M contract while considering trading Mitch Marner.
Explore reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs may prioritize signing William Nylander to an 8-year $10.5M contract, while considering trading Mitch Marner.

In the never-ending debate surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs roster, the question of whether to keep William Nylander or Mitch Marner has been a hot topic.

Given their recent performances and the Leafs’s salary cap situation, there are compelling reasons why the Leafs might choose to secure Nylander with an 8-year, $10.5 million contract, while potentially trading Marner.

Why the Leafs Will Keep William Nylander

Firstly, William Nylander has shown consistent improvement in his game. Over the past few seasons, Nylander has developed into a reliable scorer and playmaker, proving himself as a strong asset on the Leafs’ second line.

His ability to adapt and grow has impressed fans and management alike. An 8-year deal would lock down a player who is seemingly approaching the prime of his career.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs will trade Mitch Marner

On the other hand, Mitch Marner, though undeniably talented, comes with a hefty price tag. His current contract of $10.9 million is already a significant cap hit and retaining him when his contract is due may limit the Leafs’ flexibility to bolster their roster in other needed areas, such as defense.

By trading Marner, Toronto could potentially acquire key pieces to fill gaps and build a more balanced and competitive team.

Moreover, the market for Marner is likely to be robust. His skill set is something many teams would covet, and the Leafs could leverage this demand to negotiate favorable terms in any potential trade.

Marner does have a no-move clause in his contract, but that could be waived by pressure from management and if the tough Leaf Nation fan base gets on his game, he could very much welcome a trade.

While both players are immensely skilled, the combination of Nylander’s upward trajectory, the cap relief from trading Marner, and the potential returns from such a trade make a compelling case for the Leafs to secure Nylander for the long term.

Sign up for our weekly NHL trade rumors newsletter

5 COMMENTS

  1. If they can get Marner to waive his NMC then why cant they get Tavares to waive his ? In a perfect world they would rather keep WIlly Mathews and Marner and get rid of Jt’s $11M hit

  2. Marner will not be traded before Nylander. He is much more valuable than Nylander considering that he flirts with 100 points each season and is their best penalty killer.

  3. Nylander has been the most consistent player on the Leafs for years now, the fans and media has to get in their heads. just because he sat out most of a season for a contact deal, Marner sat out 20 games for his. I don’t see fans and media giving him a hard time, last season Sheldon changed Nylander and Tavares line to accommodate Mathews and Marner because they were not preforming. The fans and media have blind eyes. Nylander has set a team record this year so far, and been consistent…. Mathews has 3 hat tricks and Marner…..? and inconsistent.

    Trade Nylander like Kadri and get rid of Babcock, you still have nothing, so obviously the fans and media have no idea what they are looking at.

    Leafs need defensive dept like Babcock was trying to do.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here