Nylander contract latest big win for new Maple Leafs general manager

Kyle Dubas woke up Sunday to his 205th day as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a journey that could be described as baptism by fire.

He's passed with flying colors, at least to this point.
His latest triumph was getting an agreement completed with restricted free agent forward
William Nylander
before 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. Nylander would not have been eligible to play in the NHL this season had that deadline, mandated in the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, passed.
The debate about who won or lost the negotiations is moot. In the end, it was a win-win for team and player.
Nylander, 22, got the long-term contract he wanted, six years with an average annual value of $6.9 million.

Dubas and the Maple Leafs retained a key offensive cog whose best years are ahead of him. Nylander, who has had 61 points in each of the past two seasons, will be 28 and in the prime of his career when the contract runs out after the 2023-24 season.
Keeping Nylander is the latest achievement for Dubas, 33, since being hired as GM of the Maple Leafs on May 11.
The run of successes started in June when their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, won the Calder Cup. Dubas had built the Marlies roster during his previous role as assistant GM of the Maple Leafs and was understandably giddy when given the chance to hoist the trophy at Ricoh Coliseum after a title-clinching 6-1 win against the Texas Stars on June 14.
Dubas was in the headlines again on July 1 when the Maple Leafs signed free agent center John Tavares to a seven-year contract for $77 million. Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said Dubas was the key cog in influencing Tavares, the top player available on the open market, to pick Toronto instead of the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, Dallas Stars or Tampa Bay Lightning, the other finalists.
Tavares has 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in 27 games with the Maple Leafs, who are 19-8-0. Toronto is second in the Atlantic Division and second in the NHL standings, one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, (19-7-1).
"John coming here on July 1, now William with his situation being solved now, we've been fortunate," Dubas said. "None of those have really gone against us so far. We need to work to keep it that way."
He's already doing that.
Center Auston Matthews and forward Mitchell Marner, each 21, can become restricted free agents on July 1, 2019, and are in line for significant raises. Dubas doesn't want the stress of another Nylander situation in which the clock ticks down to the final minutes before the deadline.

"We've had discussions with both camps already," Dubas said of Marner and Matthews. "We'll continue to do that. We want to avoid a situation where not all our players are here at training camp. We're happy to have a solution [with Nylander], but this is not the preferred timing of the solution.
"That's the plan, to avoid it with the others. It's our full plan to have everybody available for the first day of training camp."
In the short term, Dubas has helped give coach Mike Babcock arguably the strongest group of top-nine forwards in the NHL by signing Tavares and keeping Nylander.
"To get where you want to go in this League, you need depth," Babcock said. "You can't have just one dominant line and expect to have success in the playoffs. The [Stanley Cup Playoffs] are a grind and you need different guys stepping up every day."
That potential is there for the Maple Leafs, who have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
Consider this: seven of their top nine forwards are first-round draft picks; Tavares (No. 1, 2009, Islanders), Matthews (No. 1, 2016, Maple Leafs), Patrick Marleau (No. 2, 1997, Sharks), Marner (No. 4, 2015, Maple Leafs), Nazem Kadri (No. 7, 2009, Maple Leafs), Nylander (No. 8, 2014, Maple Leafs) and Kasperi Kapanen (No. 22, 2014, Pittsburgh Penguins).
Kadri scored the winning goal in Toronto's 5-3 victory at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. In each of the previous two seasons, he scored 32 goals. Few, if any, NHL teams can get such production from their third-line center. Kadri, who has 16 points (eight goals, eight assists), plays behind Matthews and Tavares.
Where Nylander fits in the lineup remains to be seen. He's scheduled to join the Maple Leafs for practice Monday, which will provide an initial hint of the line combinations Babcock envisions.
Conventional thinking suggests Nylander will be reunited with Matthews. They showed good chemistry as linemates last season when Nylander finished third in team scoring with 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists), behind Marner (69 points) and Matthews (63). Marleau, 39, or Kapanen, 22, are the likely choices to play the other wing.
The Maple Leafs are on an 11-3-0 run without Nylander, outscoring opponents 55-31. His addition only makes them better in a season where their Stanley Cup aspirations are legitimate.
That's why getting him signed was such a key.
Their salary cap structure will be significantly altered next season, given the new contracts Marner and Matthews will require. There's also the dilemma of what to do about 28-year-old defenseman Jake Gardiner, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
As a result, players, management and fans all understand that there is a window of opportunity to win now. This season. Thanks to Dubas helping to secure key pieces in place like Tavares and Nylander during his short time as GM, the dream of becoming a serious Stanley Cup contender has become reality.