The Toronto Maple Leafs and star winger William Nylander are closing in on a new eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of around $11.5 million, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday.
The contract — which would begin next season — will put Nylander among the highest-paid forwards in the NHL.
The 27-year-old bet on himself this season and it is going to pay off in a big way. He opened the season with a 17-game point streak and is among the top 10 in league scoring with 54 points in 37 games after notching two goals and an assist Saturday in a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.
After the game, Nylander was asked about the prospect of signing a long-term deal with the Maple Leafs.
“That would be a dream to stay here. I mean, to play for such an organization. And I call Toronto home. So I think that’d be a very special feeling,” he said.
Nylander’s previous contract was a six-year, $45-million deal signed after a negotiation that cost him two months of games in the 2018-19 season.
With Nylander and Auston Matthews soon to be under contract, half of the team’s “Core Four” are signed long-term. The other two stars, Mitch Marner and John Tavares, are eligible for new contracts on July 1 and become UFAs after next season.
The Leafs selected Nylander eighth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. He had a career-high 87 points (40 goals, 47 assists) last season.