Shanahan weighs in on Nylander’s holdout
TORONTO — Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan says the team expects its star players to make financial sacrifices to be part of what’s hoped will be a long championship window in Toronto.
And that begins with the stillunsigned William Nylander.
Speaking before the Leafs opened the National Hockey League regular season at Scotiabank Arena against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, Shanahan reflected on his three Stanley Cup victories with the Detroit Red Wings as personal proof that taking a little less money can be worth it in the long run.
“When I get together with some of my old mates from the Cup years in Detroit ... we talk about winning together and growing together, and that’s what we remember,” said Shanahan, who won the Cup with Detroit in 1997, ’98 and 2002 in the presalary cap era. “We all found a way to fit with each other so that we could keep adding to the group. That’s obviously what we’re asking some of our young leaders to do.”
A restricted free agent without much leverage other than sitting out, the 22-year-old Nylander and the Leafs have been unable to agree on a new contract as negotiations have dragged through the summer, into training camp and now the season.
“(Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas) and I have the same vision for what we want to continue to build here and make it sustainable,” Shanahan said.
“While these things are not easy to do, Kyle and I are on the exact same page as far as the things we need to do in order to achieve it.
“We’re big fans of William, we want William to be a part of this, but obviously this is a process that he needs to go through.”
The slick winger, who remains in Sweden after finishing third on the team in scoring last season (21 goals, 40 assists), has said he wants a long-term deal, with some reports pegging his demands at US$8 million per season.