Say what you want about his trade history, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Brad Treliving in his Toronto tenure thus far, it’s that the man can negotiate the hell out of a contract.
From <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/why-bobby-mcmann-contract-biggest-bargain-in-nhl-leafs">Bobby McMann</a> to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-reportedly-sign-anthony-stolarz-to-2-year-contract">Anthony Stolarz</a> to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-is-grossly-outplaying-his-contract-early-on-albergas-take">Oliver Ekman-Larsson</a> to even <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/chris-tanev-return-toronto-maple-leafs-lineup-solve-multiple-problems">Chris Tanev</a>, the Leafs have been winning more than Charlie Sheen in his heyday when it’s come to dishing out dough.
Well, just 443 days removed from officially putting pen to paper on William Nylander’s <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-william-nylander-continues-to-ascend-in-wake-of-his-contract-extension">mega 8-year extension</a>, I’m emphatically ready to include the now 3-time 40-goal scorer in the conversation. He&#8217;s been superb.
Pound for pound, Nylander’s been Toronto’s most dominant and consistent threat in 2024-25, and without question, he’s grossly outplayed his contract. But seriously, $11.5 million per year can buy you much worse. Just ask the Vancouver Canucks. In fact, I think Nylander&#8217;s providing insane return on investment right now —even at that hefty price tag.
Remember all the noise when everything went down? Yeah, that’s gone away in a hurry.
Nylander hit an elite gear to kick off his contract year, and quite frankly, he hasn’t skipped a beat ever since. When you compare that contract to some of the other ones handed out around the league over the past few years, by the day, it’s looking more and more like a complete steal.
On top of all that, the salary cap’s slated to take a monster jump, which indisputably will make things look even better for Treliving and company. Simply put, getting William Nylander, who’s quickly ascending into top 10 status in the NHL, at that number is proving to be a shrewd piece of business for a management staff that continues to lap its predecessors.
Furthermore, in all honesty, that’s why I’m not fazed in the slightest when it comes to the lingering Marner/Tavares talks. In short order, Brad Treliving has demonstrated the innate ability to extract incredible value out of a good majority of the contracts that he’s administered. Considering the shortcomings of the previous administration, I’ll take that every day of the week —and twice on Sunday.
Any way you slice it, William Nylander is playing like a rockstar and he&#8217;s going to be a Maple Leaf for a long, long time. Most importantly – because this is Toronto, and it will always be a hot button topic for as long as the big boys are around – he’s unquestionably holding up to his end of the bargain. And then some.

Say what you want about his trade history, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Brad Treliving in his Toronto tenure thus far, it’s that the man can negotiate the hell out of a contract.

From <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/why-bobby-mcmann-contract-biggest-bargain-in-nhl-leafs">Bobby McMann</a> to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-reportedly-sign-anthony-stolarz-to-2-year-contract">Anthony Stolarz</a> to <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-is-grossly-outplaying-his-contract-early-on-albergas-take">Oliver Ekman-Larsson</a> to even <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/chris-tanev-return-toronto-maple-leafs-lineup-solve-multiple-problems">Chris Tanev</a>, the Leafs have been winning more than Charlie Sheen in his heyday when it’s come to dishing out dough.

Well, just 443 days removed from officially putting pen to paper on William Nylander’s <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-william-nylander-continues-to-ascend-in-wake-of-his-contract-extension">mega 8-year extension</a>, I’m emphatically ready to include the now 3-time 40-goal scorer in the conversation. He's been superb.

Pound for pound, Nylander’s been Toronto’s most dominant and consistent threat in 2024-25, and without question, he’s grossly outplayed his contract. But seriously, $11.5 million per year can buy you much worse. Just ask the Vancouver Canucks. In fact, I think Nylander's providing insane return on investment right now —even at that hefty price tag.

Remember all the noise when everything went down? Yeah, that’s gone away in a hurry.

Nylander hit an elite gear to kick off his contract year, and quite frankly, he hasn’t skipped a beat ever since. When you compare that contract to some of the other ones handed out around the league over the past few years, by the day, it’s looking more and more like a complete steal.

On top of all that, the salary cap’s slated to take a monster jump, which indisputably will make things look even better for Treliving and company. Simply put, getting William Nylander, who’s quickly ascending into top 10 status in the NHL, at that number is proving to be a shrewd piece of business for a management staff that continues to lap its predecessors.

Furthermore, in all honesty, that’s why I’m not fazed in the slightest when it comes to the lingering Marner/Tavares talks. In short order, Brad Treliving has demonstrated the innate ability to extract incredible value out of a good majority of the contracts that he’s administered. Considering the shortcomings of the previous administration, I’ll take that every day of the week —and twice on Sunday.

Any way you slice it, William Nylander is playing like a rockstar and he's going to be a Maple Leaf for a long, long time. Most importantly – because this is Toronto, and it will always be a hot button topic for as long as the big boys are around – he’s unquestionably holding up to his end of the bargain. And then some.

Recent articles from Nick Alberga

Breaking News