I know it's business but man i hate it when players/agents try to squeeze every cent on their first RFA deal. Maybe it's just me but i think you got to respect the rules and accept the fact you have no leverage.
Right now 60 point wingers, as FA's, are worth ~7M bucks in the open market. That 7M includes players leverage and the choice to go where ever he wants. Nylander isn't a FA however, which means to his team he's not worth that much. It's more like 6M.
Now it's fair on these long-term deals to think about potential but at the end of the day that's just what it is. There's no guarantees he'll become a PPG player down the line, especially when he's already had one of the better centers to play with. Teams usually don't pay that much more based on potential, if any, and rightfully so, it's always a gamble and one they don't have to take. It's up to the Leafs to up this sum a bit or not.
So at this moment, on a 4 year deal that doesn't buy UFA years, 6-6.5M is a good and fair number.
Then you factor in the UFA years on a, say, 6 yr deal, and 7M becomes a fair amount.
My point is, unless it's a max term deal which i don't think is on the table, depending on the years anything between 6-7M is completely fair and something the player should just happily take. There are teams out there that aren't even willing to give fair deals to their RFA's and choose to maximize the leverage that they have. Just be happy you're getting paid like you should.
Now i understand the reasoning if Toronto is pushing for 5-6M with winning in mind, if you're not on board with that mindset then you're not and that's understandable. But the reports of 8M are absurd and send a bad message to the entire league at this stage of the players career.
ELC you make a set amount. As an RFA you make less than market value compared to FA's. As a FA you can ask for whatever you want. It shouldn't be that difficult.
I always remember when Zlatan Ibrahimovic wanted to make it big and got in contact with one of the better agents in the world. The first thing this agent asked him do you want to be the best player you can be, or the highest paid player you can be. Zlatan said the former no question. And the rest is history.
Unfortunately Willie seems to choose the latter, which as a 22 year old player with a limited pedigree and zero accolades in the NHL is alarming to say the least.
