NYLANDER WILL SET THE MARKET
Many teams around NHL watching to see how contract talks play out
As the William Nylander saga draws to a close — he either has to sign a contract before 5 p.m. on Dec. 1 or he cannot play in the NHL this season — it’s safe to say this is about more than just the Toronto Maple Leafs. We often joke that Toronto is the centre of the hockey universe. In this case, it’s true. The rest of the hockey world is waiting and watching along with Leafs fans to see what will happen. And for good reason. Nylander will set the bar for what’s coming next. And what’s coming next has many general managers worried. That’s not to say we should necessarily expect more players sitting out next year. But considering just how many young players are coming off their entry-level contracts, don’t be surprised if this becomes a trend. A cursory glance at the Art Ross Trophy race shows three of the top-six scorers heading into Wednesday’s slate of games — Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, Toronto’s Mitch Marner and Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point — are in the final year of their rookie deals. That doesn’t include Patrik Laine, who is tied for the league lead in goals, or Auston Matthews, Sebastian Aho and Kyle Connor. All of these players have put up better numbers than Nylander, so whatever he ends up signing for, it will be far less than what anyone else gets. And that’s why his cap hit means as much to the Leafs as it does the rest of the league. Think of Nylander as the opening bid. He’s setting the market. If he gets US$6.5 million, Winnipeg’s Connor is worth $7 million. But if Nylander is at $7 million, then all of a sudden Connor’s price jumps to $7.5 million. And if that’s the case, Carolina’s Aho probably gets $8 million. As you can see, it’s a snowball effect that could cause some real cap issues.
COYOTES GM COULD USE MENTOR
Prior to joining the Golden Knights as their assistant general manager, the Coyotes tried to hire Kelly McCrimmon to essentially mentor John Chayka. After trading Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini to Chicago for Nick Schmaltz, it’s clear the Coyotes GM could still use one. You don’t give up on a No. 3 overall pick this early. And you certainly don’t toss in another first-rounder to sweeten the deal. At the very least, this should have been a one-for-one trade, and it shouldn’t have included Strome.
DUCHENE’S TRADE VALUE INCREASING
When a video surfaced of Matt Duchene and other Ottawa players badmouthing their assistant coach during an Uber ride, I went on record suggesting the Senators needed to trade Duchene as soon as possible. Good thing they didn’t listen to me. Since the video was released, Duchene has six goals and 18 points in 10 games. The team is still losing games. But if this keeps up, Duchene will fetch a much better return at the February trade deadline than he would have two weeks ago.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
One NHL executive had this to say about Strome, who had a goal and an assist in his Chicago debut: “He’s too smart and too hard of a worker not to make it. He’s going to make (Blackhawks GM) Stan Bowman look good.” The same executive said that Perlini, who had 17 goals last year, has one of the more underrated shots in the NHL. “It’s heavy,” he said. “There’s some Luc Robitaille to his game” Forwards who were selected ■ after Strome in the 2015 draft: Marner (4th), Rantanen (10th), Mathew Barzal (16th), Connor (17th), Brock Boeser (23rd). Remind me again why Chayka still has a job, but Ron Hextall doesn’t. As for Hextall, he was basically ■ fired because he wouldn’t fire head coach Dave Hakstol. Well, that and the fact he couldn’t put himself in the net. Forget the Rocket Richard ■ Trophy, Patrik Laine (19 goals and three assists) is my pick for the Cy Young Award.
HERE’S ONE FOR YOU
Reason No. 1 why Vegas is in a playoff spot: Max Pacioretty, who had two goals in his first 16 games, has six goals in his past five games. Reason No. 2: Marc-Andre Fleury has given up two goals in his past three starts … With only three goals heading into Wednesday’s game, Calgary Flames forward James Neal is starting to look like the poster boy for why GMs are increasingly nervous about handing out big-money contracts to free agents in their 30s … Speaking of older guys who aren’t producing, Ilya Kovalchuk combined to play 15 minutes and 25 seconds in back-to-back wins against Edmonton and Vancouver. With no points in his last 10 games, it’s not like the L.A. Kings are missing him … A report out of Columbus indicates Artemi Panarin will meet with management in January to determine his future. In other words, if he’s not re-signing, the Blue Jackets want to know before the February trade deadline so they can move him. The crazy thing is, the team could be leading its division by then.
SABRES NEED TO SIGN SKINNER
While the entire hockey world waits to see what the Leafs will do with Nylander, there’s an older free agent also worth paying attention to. Jeff Skinner is in the final year of his contract. Based on his production, he’s about to hit the mother of all paydays. The Buffalo Sabres winger, who scored yet another overtime winner on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, entered Wednesday night tied for first in the NHL with 19 goals in 25 games. He’s a major reason the Sabres have won 10 games in a row — he has 10 goals in that span — and why a team that had the worst record in the NHL last year is leading the league with 36 points. Think about that for a second. The worst team in the NHL last year is now the best. That sort of turnaround is unheard of. And if the Sabres want to make sure they stay at the top, they need to re-sign Skinner. The 26-year-old is from Toronto, so remaining in Buffalo makes geographical sense if he wants to remain close to his family. At the same time, with Edmonton and Los Angeles among the teams in dire need of a top-line winger who can fill the net, the market might not be better for a player who can essentially write his own cheque. Skinner is earning $5.75 million this season. If he ends up with north of 40 goals — he’s on pace for 62 — you can expect him to be in the $8-million-per-year range. Jason Pominville is also a free agent at the end of the year, and along with Skinner and Jack Eichel, Pominville (nine goals and 18 points) is a big reason the Sabres have looked so good. At the same time, the team also needs to put some money aside when top pick Rasmus Dahlin’s entry-level contract expires in 2021.
FLYERS HAVE PICK OF GMS
With four coaches already fired, it was refreshing to see the Philadelphia Flyers buck the trend and instead change general managers. After all, head coach Dave Hakstol isn’t the reason Philadelphia has the worst save percentage in the league. That being said, it’s much easier to replace a coach mid-season than it is to find a new general manager. Not that there aren’t options. Here are five names worth pursuing: Mark Hunter: When the Leafs promoted Kyle Dubas to general manager last summer, it came at the cost of losing Hunter, who was largely responsible for drafting William Nylander, Mitch Marner and unearthing Nikita Zaitsev from Russia. And don’t say he lacks experience in the No. 1 chair. As far as OHL general managers go, Hunter is considered the cream of the crop. Dean Lombardi: If the Flyers want to win now, Lombardi seems like he’d be a perfect fit. During his time in Los Angeles, he wasn’t afraid to trade futures for veterans as the team reached dynasty status and won two Stanley Cups in three years. But that approach is also the reason the Kings are in need of a rebuild. Chuck Fletcher: The expansion draft, when Minnesota lost Erik Haula and Alex Tuch to protect Matt Dumba, cost Fletcher his job. But at the same time, it’s not like the Wild have fallen on hard times. The team is ranked third in the competitive Central Division, largely thanks to Fletcher acquiring goalie Devan Dubnyk for practically nothing. Steve Yzerman: The back-andforth travel from Michigan to Florida was listed as the reason Yzerman stepped down as GM earlier this season. But the other factor was that the Lightning didn’t want to lose assistant GM Julien BriseBois to another team. If Yzerman can handle the commute to Pennsylvania, the job is his. Brian Burke: Burke’s working as a broadcaster these days, but if the Flyers are looking for someone to shake things up, it’s hard to imagine anyone else who would be better for the job. During his time in Toronto, he traded for Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk and Joffrey Lupul.