Traik-eotomy
Nylander negotiations will set bar for players coming off entry-level contracts ... Coyotes’ Chayka gave up on Strome too early ... Sens’ Duchene should fetch good return
As the William Nylander saga draws to a close — he either has to sign a contract before 5 p.m. on Saturday or he cannot play in the NHL this season — it’s safe to say that this is more than just about the Maple Leafs.
We often joke that Toronto is the centre of the hockey universe, but 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 ultimately set the bar for what’s coming next. And what’s coming next has many general managers worried.
That’s not to say that 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 that three of the top-six scorers — 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 $6.5-million, then 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, then Carolina’s Aho is probably getting $8 million.
As you can see, it’s a snowball effect that could cause some real salary 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 that 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 1-for-1 trade — and it should not have included Strome.
DUCHENE’S TRADE VALUE ON RISE
When a video surfaced of Matt
Duchene and other Ottawa players badmouthing their assistant coach during an Uber ride, I went on record suggesting that the Senators needed to trade Duchene as soon as
possible. Good thing they didn’t listen to me. Since the video was released earlier this month, 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 Feb. 25 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 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 now 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 just two goals in his past three starts ... With only three
goals so far, 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 who are 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 anyone’s missing him ... A report out of Columbus indicates that Artemi Panarin will meet with management in January to determine his future. In other words, if he’s not re-signing then 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 their division by then.
(Dylan Strome is) too smart and too hard of a worker not to make it. He’s going to make (Blackhawks GM) Stan Bowman look good. NHL executive