Sportsnet: Luke Fox on the Jeff Marek Show talking about Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA forward William Nylander and how they need to find a way to give him fair market value and fit it into their salary structure.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “Interesting that you mentioned William Nylander there a couple seconds ago Luke. It was almost, it was almost an automatic that the minute the puck dropped on a Toronto Maple Leafs game, Nylander would start trending on Twitter. Most notably for negative reasons. The Nylander haters would come out on mass right away and it was, you know the Swedish pinata and everyone grabbed a stick and had a swing.
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Nylander trends now after the puck has dropped on Toronto Maple Leafs games, but it is quite the opposite reaction. You know, one of the first things that Elliot and I noticed when we met him in Sweden at the NHL European players tour is just how much stronger he looked. I mean, Elliott referred to him as, you know, he looks thicker. Don’t think he like that, but he does it. He looks thicker. He looks stronger and you’re seeing it game in and game out right now.
And I don’t know how the Maple Leafs aren’t going to find room to make him fit in their salary cap equation. I know what’s on the horizon, etc. But still like how do you see given how he’s playing right now, how do you see the Nylander contract, the Nylander situation, the Nylander presence working its way through the season?”
Fox: “Yeah, it’s, it’s a huge storyline and all credit to this guy because you know, there’s so few players that can mean it when they say the contract stuff will take care of itself. All I’m focused on is hockey. A lot of guys say that, but they, don’t they deep down if you were to give them the true serum, it is in their mind. And this guy is really able to separate that and not let it bother him and he’s off to the best start of his career. Like he’s been phenomenal.
Interesting point you make about how he seems bigger and stronger. I think there’s a physical maturity with him but I think there’s also a mental maturity and just a comfort in the league. I think he’s, he’s realized, hey, I can take the puck right to the crease. I can skate as good as any, anybody. I can beat a guy one-on-one. And he’s feeling it right now. Like he’s dominant off the rush. He’s making plays. He’s beating guys in board battles to my eye more often than he has in the past.
And he had a fabulous season last year too, 40 goals. But you know, John, John Klingberg said yesterday that he is the best guy on the team right now. And you know, maybe you can make a case for Joseph Woll or Morgan Rielly, but when it comes to the forwards, he’s the most dominant one offensively, and that’s saying something.
And how this is gonna affect his contract. I 100% believe them and they told you this, that he wants to be a Maple Leaf. I absolutely believe him, that he loves it in Toronto wants to re-sign. He just wants fair market value and the way he’s playing right now, I think Brad Treliving is going to be forced to give it to him. And I think they’re gonna have to find some sort of creative way to make it happen because it’s hard to let talent like this walk out the door in its prime.
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I mean, respect to Zach Hyman and some of the other guys in the past that they’ve said ‘oh well, their own rentals, I guess. I guess we’re priced out. Oh, shucks.’ It’s hard to let a guy like this go out for nothing.”