RUMOR: Maple Leafs Still Shopping William Nylander Despite Hot Start

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Dawson McKenzie
October 29, 2023 (4:21 PM)

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Recent rumours have arisen that the Leafs are continuing to shop William Nylander despite his incredible start to the year.

Price For Nylander has Risen Since Start of Year

Nylander has had an incredible start to the season this year, recording 12 points in 8 games, and a point in each of his first 8, a new record for a Toronto Maple Leaf. For a guy who is looking for a contract extension, and who was rumoured to be traded this offseason, this year couldn't be going any better.

WILLIAM NYLANDER 🚨

8-GAME POINT STREAK! WHAT A SEQUENCE!

However, recent reports by insider Eklund have come up that the Leafs are still shopping Nylander, just at a higher price.

« They are definitely still looking to move him,» the source said, «however we all know he's a streaky player and we all know he wants a lot in contract, and we all know how much The Leafs needs to move him eventually. It's gonna take somebody getting desperate to add scoring when they lose a player. If Patrick Laine is out for longer than expected, then you could definitely see Columbus getting involved because they need to.»

Leafs Need to Add on the Back End

The Leafs' roster is far from perfect, so a trade could be in their interest going forward. If they were to trade what is the best contract in the NHL right now, though, they would need a significant return. This might come on the backend, where the Leafs are low right now as a result of injuries to Liljegren, McCabe, and Timmins.

Sheldon Keefe didn't have an update on Liljegren and says he's got to be assessed back home before they know more.

However, it is hard to imagine the Leafs getting rid of one of their most productive scorers when their depth scoring hasn't been up to snuff to start the year. The Leafs could easily just continue to ride the Nylander scoring wave.

As seen on Hockey Buzz - "Toronto still «Looking to Move Nylander.» However"