All systems go.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have pretty much finalized their opening night roster in advance of game No. 1 on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena.
Final rosters don’t have to be officially announced until Tuesday at 5 p.m. but it looks like — barring any last-minute changes — general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Mike Babcock have their chosen 23 (13 forwards, eight defencemen, two goalies).
So what would those “last-minute changes” be?
Two words. William Nylander.
The talented Swede is a restricted free agent and is looking for a big raise from his entry-level contract that paid him just over $832,000 a season.
My gut is telling me that Nylander won’t sign for at least another couple of weeks because he will want to see how the team plays without him.
If Toronto storms out of the gate like they did last year (winning seven of their first nine games) Willie’s loses a little leverage. But if the talented Leafs somehow struggle to win through the first month of the season, Dubas might feel a little more pressure to get Willie in the lineup.
But in saying that, the Leafs still hold the hammer because every day that Nylander isn’t playing is money that he is not earning.
I think that he will ultimately sign a seven-year contract worth somewhere around $45 million. At around $6.5 million a year, it’s still an excellent chunk of change, and it is a contract that, I think, both sides would be happy with.
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