William Nylander was never the right player to sign a contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs again last season.

William Nylander is now among the top paid players in the NHL after agreeing to an eight-year agreement worth $11.5 million AAV. But did the Toronto Maple Leafs make the incorrect payment?

I hate to break the news to all of the supporters, but Mitch Marner is far superior to Nylander; but, since Nylander has a long-term contract, people seem to have forgotten that.

Marner is just as capable of scoring goals as Nylander, but he is superior on the defensive end and has better hands and awareness. You have to prove that Nylander is a better player than Marner by pointing out that he scored 40 goals twice and had 13 more points than Marner in the previous season.

Nylander is more resilient than Marner because he doesn’t miss many games, but Marner hasn’t missed a lot of time either. Actually, the 2021–22 season was the one in which he missed the most games, and it was statistically the best season Nylander has ever had.

Marner would have had an 82-game season with 40 goals and 110 points if he had finished with 35 goals and 97 points in 72 games. When you combine that with his ability to score against the best defensive units on the opposing team and play the first penalty kill, Marner is unquestionably the superior player.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Had No Business Signing Nylander, William

In my opinion, the team should sell Marner, but after giving it some thought, it seems obvious that keeping Nylander was the better decision. Nylander is comparable to Phil Kessel, who is undoubtedly a winning combination for a Stanley Cup-winning team, but he won’t win the championship by himself.

Conversely, Marner is comparable to Patrick Kane in that he has the ability to carry the squad and lead them to victory. It’s actually absurd that the Leafs gave Nylander a $11.5 million annual contract since Marner’s hasn’t had his contract renegotiated; the organisation would have been better served trying to win this season while Nylander was only making

The team cannot afford to develop around Nylander now that he is earning $11.5 million in Toronto. Now that Nylander’s deal is preventing them from bringing in any free agents or creating a major impression, the entire idea of selling Marner is realistic.

The only two forwards this team should be focussing on are Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. They really blew it last season when they signed Nylander, when they could have traded him for a defenseman, goalie, or depth forward.

Given that Sam Reinhart recently signed a contract for $8.5 million, $11.5 million is far too much money for a second-line winger, making the Nylander signing one of the worst deals in hockey history.

We may complain endlessly about last year’s additions of Max Domi, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, and Tyler Bertuzzi, but general manager Brad Treliving may have made the worst decision by locking up William Nylander for the next eight years, which may have forced Mitch Marner to the trade market.