As the home opener arrived for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Canada, William Nylander was still training in Sweden.
The ice is barren; it contains just three people: skating coach Jocke Ahlgren, 29-year-old Johan Lorraine, and Nylander himself.
Nylander is a signature away from playing in the NHL again. For the time being, he’ll stay in his native country of Sweden. Sport Bladet reported earlier this morning about Nylander’s contract issues and what is going on from Nylander’s side.
According to Nylander, this ongoing issue is something being handled by his agent. “I have not received any message and have no contact with Toronto. It’s my agent who takes care of everything.”
"You will never get $8M here, so make your decision. If it's 8 you want then tell everybody: 'I'd rather go somewhere else and get my 8'…"@RealKyper has some advice for William Nylander on #HockeyCentral at Noon #Leafs #TMLTalk.
On Demand/Podcast: https://t.co/a5gXVGBx6h pic.twitter.com/biBEJwfNXS
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) October 2, 2018
As Nylander tries to stay in shape and ready for action, he is well aware of the money he is losing on each passing day. “It is clear it is a lot of money, but in the end, I have to take care of myself and do what me and my agent think is best. Especially if it’s about several years to come. I have to think long-term. It’s my own future it’s about.”
Despite Nylander having no contact with Toronto, he is staying up to date on what is going on with the Maple Leafs. He didn’t watch the game last night against rival Montreal but managed to catch the highlight’s in the morning. “ I saw highlights from the match in the morning. Those were great goals. I want to play, but now it’s the way it is. But I want to stay in Toronto.”
"We need players that want to be Maple Leafs."
Brendan Shanahan on William Nylander's standoff:https://t.co/YCDLeO3mgc
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 3, 2018
No one truly knows when Nylander will make his appearance on a game-day roster. As he withholds from signing, he loses out on a good chunk of money.
While waiting on his contract, the thought of playing some games in Europe was brought up. “I have not thought about it, but at the moment, I only have the focus to keep me prepared on the ay everything gets cleared. I just drive on and see what’s happening.”
Mike Babcock on William Nylander: “The guys that are here working every day are ahead of the guys who aren’t here working every day.”
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) October 1, 2018
