Nylander's Age: 22 years old.
Nylander's production during his contract year: Games Played: 82 Goals: 20 Assists: 41 Points: 61 Point Per Game: 0.74 TOI: 16:41
The contract comparables discussed so far have been Ehlers, Pastrnak and Drouin so here is some information about them.
Ehlers, Pastrnak, or Drouin contract if signed in 2018:
Ehlers - 7 years x $6.360,000 (8.00%)
Pastrnak - 6 years x $7,075,550 (8.89%)
Drouin - 6 years x $5,986,350 (7.53%)
Ehlers, Pastrnak, or Drouin age when contract signed:
Ehlers - 21 years old
Pastrnak - 21 years old
Drouin - 22 years old
Ehlers, Pastrnak, or Drouin point production in contract years:
Ehlers - Games Played: 82 Goals: 25 Assists: 39 Points: 64 Point Per Game: 0.78 TOI: 17:29
Pastrnak - Games Played: 75 Goals: 34 Assists: 36 Points: 70 Point Per Game: 0.93 TOI: 17:59
Drouin - Games Played: 73 Goals: 21 Assists: 32 Points: 53 Point Per Game: 0.72 TOI: 17:42
(If any of this information is incorrect, please feel free to correct me.)
Points:
1) The Toronto Maple Leafs should be negotiating a 6 year contract with William Nylander in order to keep the cap hit low. To add on, 2/3 of Nyalnder's comparables have signed a 6 year contract extension.
2) The least comparable player from this list for William Nylander is Drouin. In terms of production, Nylander and Drouin have been similar in their contract years. However, Nylander is younger, played 1 minute less per game and outperformed him this past season.
3) The player most comparable from this list for Willian Nylander is Ehlers. They both held similar production during their contract seasons. However, Nylander played 40 seconds less per game than Ehlers, thus leading to less production. To add on, Nylander has outperformed Ehlers production this season. With this in mind, Nylander is equal or greater than Ehlers.
4) Pastrnak is a decent comparable for Nylander. Nylander could have hit 70 points with 1:18 minutes more per game. To add on, Pastrnak played with better players.
5) I do not see Nylander taking below 6,360,000 over a 6 year contract since it would be a less cap percentage than Ehlers.
Conclusion:
6 years x $6,850,000 (8.61%)