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Originally Posted by VilleN
In my opinion the Leafs biggest mistake was not Matthews, it was Nylander. I think they could have waited him out the whole season and probably got a better deal. Also, I think that may have increased their bargaining power with Matthews and Marner. Now, Marner's camp probably thinks that if Dubas didn't have the stomach to sit Nylander to get the best deal for Toronto, he probably won't have the stomach to sit Marner.
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Was it the Leafs who budged or Nylander though? Nylander's camp was reportedly asking for 8M. We can discuss the wonky 'actual' price of his contract but with roughly 7M a year, that was a significant reduction and probably put him inline with what most were expecting that the Leafs wanted to sign him to (around 6.5M). At best they met in the middle but Nylander lost out on some cash due to missing so many games.
https://www.tsn.ca/nylander-s-camp-a...-aav-1.1186520
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"And obviously the Nylander fight continues with the Toronto Maple Leafs and our information suggests that Nylander to date is not willing to come off the number of $8-plus million per year so that makes it pretty easy for Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs to continue their position to dig in," Dreger said Thursday on Insider Trading. "Last week, [TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun] talked about the possibility of teams calling. Teams have been calling no doubt, inquiring about Willie Nylander, is he available?
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So I don't think Nylander's contract negotiation situation hurt them at all actually. It showed a willingness to let a player sit at home for an extended time.
What might hurt them is that Nylander came back and had difficulty finding form. Is Toronto willing to see that happen with Marner? Maybe not.