Pierre LeBrun: “The Maple Leafs’ priority/hope is still to re-sign William Nylander but my understanding with that with just two days to go to the signing deadline, Toronto has circled back to some teams suggesting they put their best foot forward on trade offers… which makes sense”
Gord Stellick: “Respect both sides being firm in their positions, but if the deadline passes with no deal for Nylander…then both sides have failed in how they negotiated. Hope and trusting Babcock’s optimism is the true scenario!”
Scott Walker: “Remember, even if the Leafs sign Nylander to a long-term contract today, he won’t have a typical AAV cap hit.