The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander will likely agree to a new deal soon.
However, it doesn’t matter if Nylander re-signs for $8 million or $9 million a season. He is not the Toronto Maple Leafs biggest concern.
The Leafs biggest concern is going to be defense and goaltending after this season.
Of the seven defensemen listed on the Leafs active roster, only three are under contract beyond this season. Out of those three, only Morgan Rielly is under contract beyond next season. It is likely that Timothy Liljegren will re-sign after this season when he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA), and top defense prospect Topi Niemela will make the jump to the NHL soon.