But of course every day this season, just about every game, has been fist-tap worthy and player-of-the-game-belt worthy for a Maple Leaf who hit his elegant stride at the most optimum apogee of his career.
Deserving, when the wrangling was finally over, of an eight-year, $92-million (U.S.) contract extension. Which essentially makes Nylander a Leaf for life. Or near enough. When this deal expires he’ll be 36 years old and, for the city’s most famous TTC rider, the endlessly delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT might actually be open by then.
That’s Nylander, AustonÌý²Ñ²¹³Ù³Ù³ó±ð·É²õ and Morgan Rielly locked in through their prime. Next up: Mitch Marner. Although there could be storm clouds looming on that horizon for general manager Brad Treliving to keep the Core Four intact, swapping in or out no-movement protected John Tavares and Marner a year away from free agency. Of course there will be a peanut gallery caterwauling over the big moolah blessing bestowed on Nylander, further constraining salary-cap manoeuvering for the club and a chunk of consequential roster pieces still missing on a team with deep playoff aspirations.
It was a playoff-sized media posse that awaited Nylander on Monday at the Ford Performance Centre after the agreement had been officially confirmed. Never one to move with alacrity for scrum performance in the dressing room, Nylander had taken his time to shower and change while delighted teammates and coach took their turns at the Q&A wall, everybody chuffed with the news that Nylander isn’t going anywhere. Though there was never much doubt the deal would get scrunched, unlike the sturm und drang from last time around, when Nylander missed the first couple of months of the 2018-19 season as a holdout, holed up in Stockholm.
That was literally an 11th-hour scramble as the Calgary-born Swede inked his name (Dec. 1, it was) before hopping on a plane to Toronto. His reputation — greedy little bugger, angling for superstar coin when he hadn’t won anything of significance yet — was severely damaged. Then neophyte GM Kyle Dubas was accused of getting hornswoggled in negotiations, gifting Nylander with an enriching $45-million contract and just about everyone whining that it was a bad deal. Turned out to be rather a club-friendly deal.
None of that carping now, or at least not much, despite the $11.5-million cap hit — largest contract in Maple Leafs history — for a player who’s leading the team with 54 points, tied for fifth in the NHL with Connor McDavid, a difference-maker almost every night and always a pleasure to watch doing his Willy thing.
On this occasion, Nylander had just slid the door open from the players’ inner sanctum for his ta-da moment, but a Leafs PR person shooed him back: “Not yet.’’ Nylander laughed, as he so often does. After six months of “will he or won’t he?” what’s another few minutes.
All smiles, though, when he did step into the frame.
“It’s been a process from the summertime, so it’s nice that it’s done and I’m going to stay for the next eight years. So it’s special, a very special feeling. I think it was a really smooth process from start to finish. I let my agent and Tree do the talking.’’
Cool cat Nylander has always let the background noise roll off his psyche, even when the sharp criticism was coming from his coaches. As captain Tavares so astutely noted, and repeated again Monday, Nylander is “built to play here.’’ Marquee status doesn’t always rest lightly on Leaf shoulders. Everybody in these parts is an armchair GM and coach. And Nylander, on raw talent, hasn’t always risen to the heights of expectation. But Willy at 27 isn’t the Willy of 19 … or 25. The oft-times lackadaisical Nylander of younger years — with his lazy backchecking, all in offensively but defensively unengaged — has mostly disappeared, replaced by a more vigilant version of his best self. While the rushing, creative, breakaway Nylander still takes your breath away.
“I coached Willy when he was 19 years old on the Marlies and then with my team in the NHL,’’ said Sheldon Keefe. “He’s spoken a lot about being a top player in the league and being relied on in all situations. That’s been his ambition, and in some cases his actions, his consistency, hasn’t met those ambitions and we’ve had to push him to work through that.’’
That inconsistent Nylander, Keefe continued, has gone bye-bye, a path he’s charted since last season and certainly through the first half of this one. A complete player who attained zenith showmanship especially in his come-home brilliance when the Leafs went to Sweden in November. Couldn’t have scripted a more dashing performance, then and in the weeks that followed.
“That’s where he’s really taken his game to another level,’’ said Keefe of Nylander’s multi-dimensional transformation. “The offensive piece has always been there, but the fact that he’s had more of a push shift to shift, game to game, to display his abilities.’’
So yeah, Treliving can take a bow for a contract resolved: “When you have a player who wants to be here and a team that wants to keep him, usually you get it done. Listen, it’s a big contract, it’s a lot of money. I don’t know if there was ever an aha moment. You arm-wrestle, you go through it. But I don’t think there was ever a time where we felt we weren’t going to get to the finish line, because the player ultimately wanted to be here and we wanted the player. So you find a way.’’
No-sweat Nylander conceded that the negotiations had been at the back of his mind, but far enough back that they weren’t a distraction. From training camp, he’d resolutely avoided discussion of it with reporters and was only now and then brought to update speed by his agent. The only time he admitted it niggled was when Dubas was canned after the Leafs lost to Florida in the second round. “In the summer I didn’t know what was happening with the new management and stuff. But from my own choice, I wanted to be here.
“We had time to spare, so it wasn’t to the wire like last time.’’
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“This is the longest I’ve ever spent in one place in my entire life. It’s funny, the other day I was talking to a friend and I said, ‘when we get home’, referring to Toronto, without even thinking about it. This is home.’’
And while the jackpot deal might trigger some backlash from a Leaf Nation that often acts like the money is coming out of its own back pocket, it was certainly heralded from within as a sign of faith in the team.
“It’s huge as a player to feel like they’re really investing in the core, betting on us,’’ said Nylander. “I know what our group is capable of. We had some stretches throughout the season where you guys might not think it, but I know what we’re able to do. Last year was a big step in the right direction.’’
A whole lotta Willy for years to come.
“It’s been a great growing process for me and my career, having started with the Marlies and ended up the player I am today. Working on getting better every day.
“I didn’t do this by myself. Thanks to my teammates and the coaching staff, management, everybody that’s believed in me and especially the city of Toronto, all the fans. I felt the support.’’
That’s $92 million worth of love.
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