Maple Leafs News: Win over Kings, Nylander contract update, and more

The Toronto Maple Leafs are making their run through the West Coast and it started well on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

Toronto beat Los Angeles 3-0. This is a good win for the Leafs who haven't been themselves lately. They needed a good win over a good team to build up some confidence.

Shutting out one of the best teams in the Western Conference is not easy. The Kings play very smart and have tons of skill.

In the win, William Nylander scored the first and third goals of the game. His 18th and 19th goals of the season served a major purpose. The second of the two goals was his 50th point of the season.

Calle Jarnkrok scored the middle goal. Tyler Bertuzzi assisted on two goals while John Tavares and Max Domi each picked up one assist each.

The shutout win goes to Martin Jones who made 31 saves on 31 shots. That is the type of goaltending that the Leafs have been looking for all season long. They are hoping it continues for them.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot going on with their team right now

William Nylander contract

William Nylander is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. His cap was $6.9 million over the last handful of years which is an incredibly team-friendly deal based on his production.

He is going to see a significant pay upgrade based on how good he's been. He picked an incredible year to have all these points too as it is going to fill his wallet even more than we thought.

On Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Nick Kypreos shared what he is hearing when it comes to the contract that Nylander might be getting. He reports that a deal could be done before the NHL All-Star break.

He also reports that the number will be north of 11. It will look a lot like what David Pastrnak makes with the Boston Bruins and they have very similar production right now.

As the discussion in the video suggests, Nylander is worth that right now. He has proven that he is one of the best producers of offense in the league.

His teammate, Auston Matthews, is on pace to crack 70 goals and he still has fewer points than Nylander. Matthews makes $11.6 million against the salary cap right now and it will jump to $13.25 million next year.

If this is an 8-year deal as Nick Kypreos suggests, he would be locked in for the rest of his prime. The Leafs would also have a lot of their core locked in for a good portion of the next decade.

Would a contract like this cause the Leafs to make huge roster changes? Is Mitch Marner on his way out if this gets done? All of it is possible.

However, there seems to be a general thought that the salary cap is going to rise significantly over the next handful of years. If that is the case, giving Nylander north of $11 million to be a 100-point guy is a fair deal.

Nylander also brings more than just points to the Maple Leafs organization. He is a very marketable player who seems to enjoy being in the middle of the spotlight. There are lots of good players on this Leafs team that produce too so there isn't so much pressure. We'll see if this gets done soon.

Next Up

Next up for the Toronto Maple Leafs is a game on Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks. It is the second half of a back-to-back after beating the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Anaheim is a much weaker team than Los Angeles but it is always harder on the second day of a back-to-back. The Leafs need to make sure that they play smart so they can keep themselves fresh.

This Ducks team is near the bottom of the standings but they have some good players that can make you pay if you aren't prepared.

You can bet the Leafs will do that as they need these points. It is a late game for those watching in Toronto as it will be a 9 PM start.

They don't play again until Saturday after this so they might as well do what they need to do to secure two points. It should be very fun to watch once again.