NHLNetwork: Mike Rupp on William Nylander and where the perfect fit for him could be.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Jamison Coyle: “They’ve got a massive expiring contract coming up next summer in Auston Matthews. We know about the core hour up there. It’s a lot of money and there’s only so much wiggle room when it comes to the salary cap.
Guy like William Nylander. We’ve heard his name tossed around so many times over the last couple of seasons. What do you think his future holds up in Toronto?”
Rupp: “I think it’s coming to an end and at some point this season I think you’ll see Willy Nylander moved.”
Coyle: “At no fault of his own. He’s been great.”
Rupp: “Oh, he’s one of the most”
Coyle: “He’s priced himself out.”
Rupp: “He’s one of the most underpaid players in the NHL. I’m not trying to say that his game’s perfect.”
Coyle: “Remember when he held out a couple of years ago and everybody’s like, wow. That deal is almost a bargain at this point.”
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Rupp: “Yeah. A screaming deal for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he’s not hidden anymore. This guy had 40 goals last year. He had as many as Auston Matthews. I’m not saying he’s as good as Auston Matthews. Auston Matthews will get that deal done. A monster deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. There’s just not enough money to go around.
And I think Willy Nylander, I’d love to see him get an opportunity to be the man somewhere and I want to see what that does for him. So I’m thinking of a team I think would be a perfect fit as far as the age to get someone to be in that role, I look to Anaheim.
I think the Anaheim Ducks. They got a boatload of young talent. And the Toronto Maple Leafs have been a very good team for some time. They haven’t really picked overly high in the draft for some time. Use some of those picks you have out there in Anaheim. I don’t know what that deal exactly looks like. What the asking price would be?
But I do know that that player in this lineup with that talent would be incredible. Zegras.”
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Coyle: “Look at down the middle. McTavish.”
Rupp: “Carlsson. Troy Terry over the last three years has become great.
Now you got some of the veteran guys with Strome. Henrique’s still there. Alex Killorn. Like all of sudden, now this team, if you can make a monster move like that, I think Nylander is clearly the guy. He’s going to be the guy. I think you can thrive with that.
Plus we know Willy loves good weather. He likes that kind of lifestyle too. So I think California would be perfect for him.”