Dubas can’t repeat mistakes with Nylander in dealing with Marner
GM promises to get Leafs’ leading scorer to sign new deal without playing hardball
William Nylander was in the middle of explaining how his season had gone from bad to worse when a camera man interrupted the Toronto Maple Leafs forward and asked him to tilt up the front of his hat so everyone could properly see his face. Nylander reluctantly obliged. But it was understandable that he would want to hide.
This season was a total nightmare for the 22-year-old. After sitting out for the first two months because of a contract dispute, Nylander finally got the Leafs to pay him what he believed he was worth. But it came at a huge cost. All that time waiting around affected his play, with Nylander never finding comfort or producing in the way that he and the Leafs had expected him to.
“I just wish I would have been here from the beginning,” Nylander, who finished the season with seven goals and 27 points in 54 games — and had just one goal and two assists in a seven-game playoff series against the Bruins — said on locker cleanout day. “I think that was one of the things that I regret.” Leafs GM Kyle Dubas shares that regret. And with Mitch Marner’s contract set to expire on July 1, he vowed to learn from it.
“Frankly speaking, I think the blame for the situation has to go to me,” Dubas said of Nylander’s contentious contract negotiations. “I don’t think it set William up to have a good season and I accept that. Looking back on that and how we handled our business and went about it, I think in the end, if you’re looking to assign blame to anyone, it has to be to me, because we didn’t get it done for training camp, we didn’t get it done to start the season, we didn’t get it done until there was three minutes left or however many minutes were left.” Which brings us to Marner. After what the team went through with Nylander, the last thing Dubas wants is to go down the same route with the team’s leading scorer. As much as the Leafs had depended on Nylander for offence, the team depends even more on Marner, who finished with 94 points while helping John Tavares score 47 goals this season.
That production, coupled with a strong two-way game that had Marner killing penalties, has put the 21-year-old in a position of leverage that no one could have really expected.
Forget about the US$6.9-million that Nylander is earning. The thinking is Marner will ask for even more than what Tavares (US$11 million) and Auston Matthews (US$11.634 million) are set to earn next season. And he could very well get it if Dubas is truthful about not wanting to play hardball again. “Listen, Mitch has had an excellent season,” said Dubas. “He’s a massive, massive part of everything we’re doing here both in terms of his talent and ability, which has shown to be among the best in the league, and the joy and leadership he brings to the club each day. It’s priority one for us and we’ll get right to it.” In other words, don’t focus on the Dec. 1 roster cut-off date. According to Dubas, it’s “imperative” that Marner is signed before the team can venture into the free agency market on July 1. “Without an answer on Mitch, we’re going to be at a stalemate,” he said.
“It is a top priority because we’re not going to jump around and chew away our cap space that we may need for Mitch with fringe signings, either. It’s important. We just have to get to work at it and get it done.” Part of the reason why it took so long to sign Nylander last year was because Dubas didn’t take over from Lou Lamoriello as the Leafs’ GM until May 11. The other part was that the Leafs were chasing John Tavares, putting their restricted free agents on the back burner. Nylander wasn’t the top priority. In some ways, he was an afterthought, something that Dubas chalked up to as a rookie mistake on his part.
“It’s a lesson learned from my end of it,” said Dubas, who plans on calling Marner’s agent in the next few days to begin negotiations. “Meet with them sooner and stay on them, rather than just wait for them to get back to us.”
As for Nylander, he deserves as much of the blame as Dubas does. It’s one thing to look rusty and out of sync immediately following a two-month absence. But by January or even April, his game should have come around. After all, Montreal’s Shea Weber, who is 11 years older than Nylander, also missed the first two months — with an injury, no less — and he finished the season with 14 goals and 33 points in 58 games.
Frankly speaking, I think the blame for the situation has to go to me. I don’t think it set William up to have a good season and I accept that.