In today’s NHL Rumor Mill, William Nylander talks about his future, plus some potential candidates for the Maple Leafs’ vacant GM position.
THE ATHLETIC: Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston report William Nylander wants to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs through a roster retool, but not if they’re going to stage a complete rebuild.
“Unless it was a full rebuild and we were going to get rid of everybody, then it’s a different story,” Nylander said. “But just to do a retool or whatever, I don’t even know, but I mean, I still want to be here, yeah.”
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (NHL Images)
Nylander said he spoke with former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving before the trade deadline about the club’s direction. He indicated that Treliving wanted to retool. “That sounded fine to me,” Nylander said.
The Maple Leafs fired Treliving on Monday, but Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley said the team was inclined to retool in part because of foundational players like Nylander.
Questions have been raised about team captain Auston Matthews’ future with the Maple Leafs. Nylander said he’s not ready yet to say whether Matthews’ decision would affect his own.
Nylander is signed through 2031-32 with an average annual value of $11.5 million and a full no-movement clause. He believes the Maple Leafs can bounce back, as the Boston Bruins did this season, after finishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Matthews forces a trade this summer or next summer, or departs as a free agent in 2028, Nylander could be eyeing the exit. Retooling the Maple Leafs isn’t possible without their franchise player. But if the Leafs don’t bounce back next season, Matthews could decide his future no longer rests in Toronto. If he goes, Nylander could follow.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau listed five potential candidates to fill the vacant Maple Leafs’ general manager role.
If the Maple Leafs decide to retool the roster, Proteau suggested Chris Pronger and Brandon Pridham, the Leafs’ assistant GM. If they opt to rebuild, he proposed Mark Hunter of the OHL’s London Knights, Steve Yzerman if the Detroit Red Wings fire him as their GM, and Leafs assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser.
RG.ORG: Sergey Demidov reports former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka could be a candidate. Demidov revealed that Chayka interviewed with the Maple Leafs in February.
Chayka was the Coyotes GM from 2016 until 2020, when he abruptly resigned. The league suspended him through 2021 for “conduct detrimental to the league.” He was found to have pursued other opportunities while still under contract and to have been involved in an illegal pre-draft scouting combine.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Other candidates proposed by pundits include St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, former Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, and former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis.
Chayka and Gillis have been mentioned because Pelley indicated that he seeks a “data-driven” person for the job. Both were forward-thinking during their time as general managers with their use of analytics.
Speculation about who the Maple Leafs would hire as their next general manager was going to dominate headlines because of who they are and the market they’re in. Pelley’s deadline of the end of May to have a new GM in place will ensure this story continues to percolate in the rumor mill.