The Toronto Maple Leafs signed skilled forward William Nylander right before the 5 pm deadline on Saturday. A six-year, $6.9 million deal will seemingly keep Nylander playing for the blue and white for the foreseeable future and he'll likely join the Leafs on Tuesday as they take on the Buffalo Sabres and try to reclaim their seeding at the top team in the Eastern Conference standings.

Then what?

Prior to Nylander officially extending his contract with the Maple Leafs on Saturday there were a variety of rumors surrounding his future with the organization. Would he be traded, would he play? The interesting part about all of this drama is that, even though he's now signed, both may still be true.

The Immediate Future For Nylander

In the here and now, Nylander will join the Maple Leafs and help them try to win a Stanley Cup. Already a favorite to do so, the franchise is doing extremely well this season. Even with games missed by their star Auston Matthews, Nylander's absence over the past 25 or so games hasn't hurt their ability to score goals. With Matthews back and Nylander ready to return, his presence will only help them score more often than they already were.

While it can be argued Nylander isn't worth the $6.9 million per season he just got paid, he does have back to back seasons of 61 points. Those numbers lead to the expectation he'll come in a contribute right away. Considering how long he sat out, he'd better. In under 60 games remaining on the 2018-19 campaign, it might be hard for him to reach the 61-point marker again, but the Maple Leafs are loaded up front and he'll play on the wing of either Matthews or John Tavares. The points will come.

Related: William Nylander Re-Signs With The Toronto Maple Leafs After Months Of Negotiating

The Not-So-Distant Future

After this season comes to an end, the Maple Leafs will either be the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Champions, or they'll have come close. The team is good, but their only average defense will need improvement. In the short-term, that's not a huge issue as Toronto can reach out to the rental market at the NHL trade deadline for blueline help. Still, in the long-term, the team will need to address their defensive core since a rental won't help next year or the year after that.

Among those the organization will need to pay attention to is Jake Gardiner. An offensively gifted d-man, speculation is that Gardiner may ask for $7 million or more in the free agent market. If the Maple Leafs are going to pay him that much, they'll need to find money.

Where Nylander comes into play is how much salary he takes up with the combination of himself, Tavares, Matthews and Mitch Marner. It's very likely those four players will eat up 40% or more of Toronto's total salary cap and, long-term, the Maple Leafs can't win that way. With that in mind, it won't take long for the rumors to swirl that Nylander is on the trade block.

Related: Biggest NHL Rumors This Week - December 1, 2018

Nylander's Distant Future

Whether Nylander's name hits the rumor mill immediately following this season or not, there won't be many years he won't be constantly looking over his shoulder. Part of his new deal includes a modified no-trade clause that kicks in during the final year. That means, for five seasons, the Maple Leafs can move him if they need to and as salaries around the NHL go up — in part thanks to the deal he just signed — he'll be easier and easier to trade.

The Leafs are in win now mode, but their window to win often is just opening. To stay open, the team will need to be more well-rounded and that includes possibly moving their newly signed winger for help where they have a more dire need.

Next: Top NHL Goaltenders: Who Is Actually On The Trading Block