According to Elliotte Friedman, the marriage between the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander is over, regardless of if he signs or not.

With only two days left for William Nylander to either be signed or traded before the December 1, 2018 deadline for eligibility comes and goes, all eyes are on the forward out of Toronto and how the organization handles his next deal. There are rumors a deal is almost in place and there is some speculation both sides have come as far they can and that a deal might not get done. Either way, one NHL insider had an interesting take on the negotiations.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently wondered whether Nylander signs or not if there is a future in Toronto for him. This whole process might have soured any future the two sides might have of working together and at the same time, it is believed that even if a deal gets done, the money will be too rich for Toronto's blood over the long-term and the organization will try to alleviate the stress of whatever his new salary is by moving him. In short, Friedman believes that even if Nylander does sign, Toronto will trade him by the draft at the latest. “One way or the other, I think this is over. I would be surprised if he plays for Toronto next season.”

Related: Leafs Rumored To Trade Nylander If He Does Not Accept Final Contract Offer

What This Means

Everyone is watching what will happen in Toronto but the real question might be, are the Maple Leafs getting a deal done only to give themselves the best chance to win this season and then their plan is to dump him? If so, it has to be assumed that whatever the deal is, there won't be a no-move or no-trade clause attached. If there is, the fine print will be that that clause doesn't kick in right away, giving the Maple Leafs and chance to go for the Stanley Cup this year and move Nylander out as soon as the option presents itself.

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