WAITING GAME COMING TO AN END
Babcock, players holding out hope Leafs can reach last-minute deal with Nylander
If there’s a way for a professional hockey team to bond, putting them outdoors on a smaller sheet of ice and dropping the puck for a three-on-three tournament is among the best ways to go.
If only the Maple Leafs had a full complement of players for the hour-long competition on Friday afternoon at the downtown Wells Fargo WinterSkate rink, a slapshot away from the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild.
And we’re not talking about absent players Nazem Kadri and defenceman Ron Hainsey, who were given the day to rest, or goalies Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks, who also had the day off.
William Nylander isn’t far from the thoughts of his Leafs teammates, and Saturday at 4 p.m., they’ll finally get the word as to whether he’ll be a part of the team for the rest of the campaign. He has to sign a contract by then, or he’ll be ineligible to play for the rest of the season.
The players who were involved in this outdoor event are wondering, of course, if Nylander will have signed on the dotted line by the time the Leafs face off against the Wild later on Saturday night.
If that happens, Nylander could rejoin the team for practice in Toronto as early as Monday.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock has been vocal over the past 10 days in his belief that Nylander will sign.
“I’m looking forward to Willie being on the team,” Babcock said. “In my heart and in my mind, I know he’s going to be on the team. That’s how I have to think.”
General manager Kyle Dubas and his right-hand men, assistant GMs Brandon Pridham and Laurence Gilman, are with the club on this one-game trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
More than a few teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers, have shown an interest in trading for Nylander. Truthfully, every GM across the National Hockey League should have at least kicked the tires on Nylander.
Whether or not Dubas gets Nylander’s signature on a bridge deal or a long-term contract in the range of US$6.9-million a year, the GM plans to meet with reporters on Saturday, his first time he’s done so since the regular season started. The expectation is that negotiations between the Leafs and Nylander will go down to the final minutes.
The game between the Leafs and Wild will mark the 27th game that Nylander has missed. The Leafs play in Buffalo against the Sabres on Tuesday.
Despite the time Nylander has spent idling at home in Sweden, and despite the fact the Leafs are firing on all cylinders with 18 wins in their first 26 games, Babcock isn’t worried about Nylander’s ability to make a smooth transition to the Leafs’ lineup.
“That’s what we’re betting on,” Babcock said. “We’re betting on that he knows these guys, he’s a big part of the team, has elite skill, he likes hockey, he’s determined to be good.
“He fits into our group and gives us more depth, and the more depth you have, the better chance you have to get in the tournament (in the playoffs) and play a long time. We want him back.”
Babcock said he’s talked with Nylander since the beginning of the season, though the coach did not reveal any particulars other than to say, “we’re not begging anyone to be a Leaf. That’s not what we’re doing at all.”
As for the second annual tournament — dubbed the Gardiner Classic, after Minnesota native and Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner — it gave the players an opportunity to recall the days spent on an outdoor rink as a kid.
Team White, featuring Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, Par Lindholm, Travis Dermott and Igor Ozhiganov, won the trophy.
“We might have been underdogs, but we came with lots to prove and we proved it,” Dermott said jokingly.
And how about Nylander? “We’re just more excited to see him and kind of get this over with,” Dermott said. “Lots of offensive power and a good guy to have in the room.”
We’re betting on that he knows these guys, he’s a big part of the team, has elite skill, he likes hockey, he’s determined to be good.