TORONTO -- William Nylander will move from right wing to center when the Toronto Maple Leafs open training camp Thursday.
That will be the Maple Leafs' plan for the foreseeable future, with the long-term goal to keep the 27-year-old pending unrestricted free agent in Toronto for years to come.
“It’s a priority, we want to get ‘Willy’ signed,” general manager Brad Treliving said Wednesday. “Willy is a really good player and you want to keep your good players.”
Nylander is entering the final season of a six-year, $41.4 million contract ($6.9 milllion average annual value) he signed Dec. 1, 2018, and has been eligible to sign a new contract since July 1.
When Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, who was in the same situation, signed a four-year, $53 million contract ($13.25 million AAV) on Aug. 23, the focus immediately went to Nylander and his lack of contract resolution beyond this season.
Nylander expressed his desire for a long-term solution during the NHL European Media Tour in Stockholm last month.
"For me, the contract, obviously, I want it to work where I can stay there and be there," Nylander said then. "There's no other place I want to play, but I still have one more year left. I don't understand why there's such a big rush to do something right now. I still have one more year left."
Treliving said Toronto wants the same result.
“Willy has expressed to me, him and I have talked, that he wants to be here so that’s usually a good starting point and so we will try to get it done,” Treliving said. “The lines of communication will stay open and we will work with (agent) Lewis Gross and see where it gets to.
"Today is a day that we will answer questions, but after today I’m not going to comment on it until we have something. I just find it’s best to do business that way and hopefully we can find a good conclusion.”
Nylander has only ever played center sporadically with the Maple Leafs during his eight NHL seasons, but coach Sheldon Keefe is ready to stick with the move for a while.
“Willy has been fully on board,” Keefe said. “He’s totally comfortable playing center, gets drafted as a center, has played center with the (Toronto) Marlies (American Hockey League), so it’s not a huge leap from my position. Just something we haven’t given a whole lot of runway with (in the past) and we will commit to it for a bit here.
“Not committing to any specific period of time but just to say it’s not going to be a one-off or a one-day thing or a one preseason game. We want to give it some time to see what it looks like.”
Nylander set NHL career-highs in goals (40), assists (47) and points (87) in 82 games last season. He had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games before Toronto was eliminated in five games by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Second Round.
The idea of switching Nylander, who played predominantly at right wing last season on a line with center John Tavares, was presented by Treliving during offseason discussions with Keefe.
The rare times Nylander has played center in the past have come when either Matthews or Tavares have been out of the lineup, but the intention is to begin training camp with Matthews, Tavares and Nylander as Toronto’s top three centers.
“Moving from wing to center is a lot more difficult on the fly than it is from center to wing," Keefe said. "So giving him some time and opportunity to grow with that position through camp and have the experience and confidence to do it gives us the chance to see what it looks like, how it affects Willy’s game, but also how it affects our team and the flow of our team. It’s important to do so.”
With Tavares having shown the ability to play left wing at times last season after the Maple Leafs acquired center Ryan O'Reilly in a three-team trade Feb. 17, getting Nylander to a point where he is comfortable at center only increases the deployment options Keefe has at his disposal.
O'Reilly signed a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators on July 1.
Treliving said he is confident Nylander can excel in a different role.
“He is a cool cat,” Treliving said. “He is a really unique kid. I’ve always had an outside view where I’ve thought that there is not a lot that bothers this guy and when you get to know him, there’s not a lot that bothers this guy. It can be misinterpreted but this guy really does care.
"He cares about having success; he cares about being a really good player. He works at his craft. I certainly didn’t probably have that perception about how driven he is. I’ve really enjoyed my time with Willy. He’s a great kid.”
Nylander said Thursday he is looking forward to the change.
“It’s fun. I’m excited," he said. "I’m just happy to be back and I told Sheldon wherever he wants me to play, I’ll play.
“It’s a little bit of an adjustment in the D-zone but if I play throughout training camp and get some games, I think it’ll help me get adjusted and if the move is to put me back on the wing later, it will be way easier.”
Tavares said he has noticed significant progression in Nylander’s game in the five seasons they have been teammates since Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract ($11 million AAV) as an unrestricted free agent with the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2018.
“I think through my whole time here and over his career," Tavares said. "But certainly over the last couple years, just the level of leadership that has grown throughout him, the consistency in his game, the way he impacts the group and the type of game breaker that he is, he is such a special and unique talent and someone we want to be here for a long time, and he has stated that as well. It’s great to get things done quickly and fast, but sometimes they take some time.
"There’s lot of time here and he’s just going to focus on playing hockey and helping this team win, which we love to hear as his teammates. The kind of guy he is, I really think he is someone who is built to play in Toronto with the type of personality he has and how he handles things. He is a very hard-working and driven player and we love him here.”
