Are Nylander's latest comments about a possible extension a cause for concern about his long-term future in Toronto?

Most of the talk surrounding the Leafs and contracts coming due has been in relation to generational goal scoring talent Auston Matthews, but there is another important member of the team who will come due at the same time and there hasn't been nearly enough attention focused on what he may decide to do next summer or the one following.

William Nylander has largely been a very good soldier for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's a skilled forward with an excellent shot who is often looked at as the fourth-best player on the team. Statistically speaking, he was third on that list last season, which is irrelevant because there are plenty of NHL cities in which he'd be a leading scorer. The question is - where does he want to be? Well, according to Nylander himself, Toronto is now home.

When asked by The Athletic's Jonas Siegel where he stands and what his plans might be when he comes due for an extension next summer, Nylander revealed that if everything goes well this season, he'd love to stick around.


It's pretty easy to look at that an interpret Nylander's words in a different way. Is he saying that if the Leafs don't win a Stanley Cup, he wants to leave? Not necessarily. But it also doesn't mean that he'll stay. Some additional comments he made this week indicated that he's grown accustomed to moving around over the years.


It's still a little too early to press the panic button or to demand that Kyle Dubas trade Nylander before he loses him for nothing, but if you take Nylander's comments about Toronto and Matthews' comments about Toronto, it seems to be that Matthews has become more attached to the city than Nylander has. Of course, that could simply be a matter of Matthews showing his emotions a little more openly than Nylander does. We know that Willy is a bit of an introvert, so maybe his comments don't say as much as we think they do. Maybe his actions will say more.