MILTON, Ontario — William Nylander remains a restricted free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but John Tavares is hopeful his contract situation will be resolved before the start of training camp.
“We believe we are going to have [Nylander] here to start camp and whatever happens, obviously to start the season,” Tavares said on Monday. “He’s an important part of the team and I got to skate with him and see him in July a little bit. I know he was really excited about things ahead and being a part of this group. Hopefully it can get done very soon and we get him in and build up for the season.”
Nylander, who was selected by the Maple Leafs with the No. 8 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, had 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games last season, his last on his three-year, entry-level contract. The 22-year-old forward has 135 points (48 goals, 87 assists) in 185 NHL games.
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“We’re continuing to work towards a solution to it and I’m confident that we’ll get there,” general manager Kyle Dubas told TSN last week.
Nazem Kadri knows exactly what Nylander is going through. After his entry-level contract expired five years ago, he signed a two-year, $5.8 million contract on Sept. 10, 2013, the day before training camp began.
“It’s a little bit stressful. I know in my case it was and they were very similar, so I know [Nylander] wants to be here and wants to be around his teammates,” Kadri said. “It’s not the easiest thing to go through. He’s a great player, a great teammate and we’d love to have him around. That’s a discussion obviously him and management have to have, but we’ll be ready for him when he decides to come.”
Video: Kristen Shilton talks John Tavares, William Nylander
At this point, it is unclear whether Nylander, who was not in attendance at Toronto’s annual Leafs & Legends Charity Golf Classic on Monday, would attend training camp in the absence of a contract in place, but Dubas said last week that he would not expect him to report without one.
“I would think that like most players, that if training camp was to start and there was no contract, that the player and his representative would elect not to attend. But I haven’t had that discussion with them, I’m just surmising based on history,” Dubas told TSN.
Nylander is not the only notable restricted free agent still unsigned. Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey are each in similar situations.
Video: [email protected], Gm6: Nylander pots rebound from the doorstep
“[Nylander] is obviously a big part of the team and a big part of the future, so this has kind of been proven in the past and even with a few other players around the League, guys kind of in this situation. It always seems to come down to the wire a little bit,” Tavares said.
On July 1, coach Mike Babcock said he expected Nylander to start on a line with left wing Patrick Marleau and center Auston Matthews. But if Nylander is not in camp at the outset, defenseman Morgan Rielly said the team will have no choice but to let the situation play out.
“He’s a great player and he was a big part of our team last year. There’s time between now and camp so who knows, but hopefully he comes on board,” Rielly said. “If so, we’ll be happy, but if not, you just kind of carry on and go through camp just the way we normally would.”
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