Nashville Predators: Is a trade for William Nylander worth it?

Though adding a player the caliber of Nylander is sure to benefit any team in the short-term, a few concerns arise when speaking about the Nashville Predators gaining his services.

First, congruent to the Maple Leafs, the Predators are in a bit of a cap-situation of their own, as several key pieces such as, Pekka Rinne, Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and the teams’ captain, Roman Josi, all have contracts that will expire in the next two years.

To address this optimistically, it is possible that Rinne will retire at the end of the season to relieve the burden of re-signing him to a new multi-million dollar deal. Should this occur, Nashville would have just over $15 million in cap space heading into next year, but, with Josi’s raise included in that total, they would likely have about $10million left.

In terms of what he’s after financially, Nylander seems less tied up on the actual dollar figure of the contract and more the nature of the deal he would be agreeing too. Presumably, though, Nylander would cost the Predators about $6-7.5million per year in this scenario.

After signing Nylander, the Predators would be limited on cap room moving forward, but, they would certainly have one of the more potent lineups in the league in the present and near future.

Aside from the contract of Nylander, another potential problem could arise from how the Swede would fit into the Predators lineup.

At this moment for example, Nashville has two high-level offensive centers in Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris, while Nick Bonino provides the team with a good two-way centerman on the Predators’ third offensive unit.

In other words, the Predators don’t exactly need more scoring depth up the middle.

Instead, Nashville may be more concerned with finding a  second line winger to play alongside Turris, as Kevin Fiala has failed to build off his 25-goal campaign in 2017-2018 so far.

To counter this, readers should be reminded that although Nylander was drafted as a center and partook in over 600 faceoffs last season, he has played extensively on the wing alongside Auston Matthews during his time in Toronto. Adding to this, Nylander’s speed and stick skills also allow him to be one of the more underrated defensive forwards in the league, finishing 15th in Takeaways with 68 last year.

To end, Nylander finished the 2016-2017 season amongst the league’s top-15 in powerplay points with 27; making him a much-needed weapon for Nashville’s lowly powerplay.

In summary, William Nylander’s contract may give the Nashville Predators management a slight headache moving forward, however, his ability to play a full 200-foot game and contribute with the man advantage makes him the most attractive forward the Preds’ may be able to land for years to come.

Unfortunately for the Nashville Predators, acquiring Nylander will likely cost them more than the lackluster deal that sent superstar, Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks last month.

What exactly could a trade look like then?

To begin, it should be noted that Toronto’s current General Manager, Kyle Dubas, is yet to make a major trade at the NHL level, so what he typically seeks as compensation is all the more difficult to judge.

Therefore, the simplest way to perhaps gauge what type of deal may entice Dubas, taking a look at his time as Assistant G.M. of the Maple Leafs may be the safest resort.

One specific deal that can be used as a strong reference is the 2015 trade that witnessed Toronto ship out their best offensive player, Phil Kessel, to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In that aforementioned deal, the Maple Leafs received a package that included a top prospect, a mid-level defenseman, and a duo of high-round draft selections; so it is fair to assume the asking price for Nylander would at least be the same.

Keeping this in mind, let us look at three possible trades that could serve as the foundation for a deal involving Nylander and the Nashville Predators.

Nashville Predators Trade: Eeli Tolvanen, Yannick Weber, 2020-First round pick, 2019-Fourth Round Pick Colorado

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade: William Nylander, 2019-Sixth Round Pick

The first deal presented is one that unquestionably makes the Predators better immediately, while giving the Maple Leafs more assets to look forward to in the future.

To begin, in the package presented, the Predators would receive the best player in the deal right now, while Toronto would get Nashville’s first draft choice in the 2020 season. Building off this, it is suggested that this pick would come from 2020 and not this upcoming draft simply because the Predators do not own a third-round choice this year and are unlikely to give up two of there first round 2019 selections.

As compensation for accepting the delayed draft pick, the Maple Leafs would also get Colorado’s fourth-round pick that Nashville currently has ownership of.

Remaining on how the deal improves Toronto’s future, the Leafs would also receive Eeli Tolvanen whom the Predators selected late in the first round in 2017.

So far in his career, Tolvanen is yet to register a point in three NHL games, but, he did average nearly a point per game in the KHL last year and is putting up similar numbers in the AHL through four games this year.

Whether or not Tolvanen will pan out is yet to be determined, however, he is likely Nashville’s top prospect outside the NHL, so he certainly presents value to fellow teams.

Oppositely from Tolvanen, Weber would be able to help the Maple Leafs on the defensive end, an area Toronto is undeniably looking to bolster.

Weber, who is currently on his third NHL team, has maintained a positive +/- rating in three of the last four seasons and would likely be a regular suit up for the remainder of the season for Toronto should he be sent to Canada.

As expected, one of the more plausible options for Nylander is a trade similar to that of former Toronto star, Phil Kessel; which is exactly what this deal represents.

Getting a bit of everything

Despite the last slide suggesting that Toronto is certain to get more than a desperation package for Nylander, it does remain entirely possible that the Leafs are forced to take a chance on a deal that may not greatly improve the team in one specific area.

In this situation, a deal between the two discussed teams could resemble something along the lines of..,

Nashville Predators trade:

Kevin Fiala, Niclas Westerholm, 2019-Second round pick, and 2018-Fourth round pick (Colorado), Dan Hamhuis

Toronto Maple Leafs trade:

William Nylander, 2020 Seventh-round pick (San Jose)

This middle deal is perhaps the least sexy to Leafs fans, but, does present value should contract talks between Nylander and Toronto continue to go south.

The most significant piece in the deal would be Kevin Fiala, who like Nylander, is also a former first-round pick who has shown promise at the NHL level already.

Though he lacks the two-way ability Nylander possesses, Fiala is coming off a 25-goal campaign in 2017-2018, so seeing his offensive talent be paired alongside Auston Matthews is something that could entice Toronto’s management.

Aside from the two draft picks in the trade, Nashville would also part ways with Dan Hamhuis and Niclas Westerholm as each presents their own value to the Maple Leafs as well.

Hamhuis, who is a currently in his 15th year in the league provides Toronto with some much needed defensive depth, while Westerholm gives them a potential solid backup option should Fredrik Andersen or Garret Sparks be injured at any point in the season.

Up to this point, Westerholm is unproven at the NHL level, however, he has posted impressive statistics in his junior career so far, including a .926 save percentage over 28 games last year for his team in Finland.

In short, this trade benefits both teams as neither squad is forced to completely change their identity and get to round out their respective teams in the process.

The Blockbuster deal

In the simplest world, the Nashville Predators would get scoring help in this trade, while the Toronto Maple Leafs would receive a top-4 defenseman to alleviate their defensive woes.

Nashville Predators Trade: Mattias Ekholm, 2019-Fifth Round Pick

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade: William Nylander

Unfortunately for Toronto supporters, it seems decreasingly likely that the Predators are willing to part ways with any of their top defenseman, which includes both Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm.

Should we be wrong and Nashville’s front office decides that breaking up their defensive core is worth it to acquire a 22-year old with multiple 60-point seasons, the player most likely to leave would be Ekholm, largely due to his contract.

Expanding on Ekholm, Toronto would immediately be intrigued in acquiring the 28-year old not only because his proven ability to play well as a top-line defenseman, but, his contract is extremely undervalued; carrying only a $3.75million cap-hit for the next four seasons.

Financially, it would make more sense for the Predators to part ways with Ryan Ellis, however, Nashville did give him a raise that is set to kick in at the end of 2018-2019, at which point, he will be making above 6$million per season, a figure Toronto may struggle to afford.

Statistically, Ekholm is one of the more consistent defenders in the NHL during both the Regular seasons and Playoffs, as he has finished with a positive +/- rating four years in a row and is fourth overall in playoff points by a defenseman over the last three years with 19.

Furthering the value of Ekholm, he also lead the Predators in Defensive Point Shares last year and was second on the team in blocked shots.

In six games played so far this year, Ekholm has managed to put five points already, which ties him for second on the team, reminding audiences that he does have an offensive side when given the opportunity as well

After reviewing a trio of trades that could see the Nashville Predators land William Nylander, do you think it is worth it for the team to try to acquire his services?

Discuss below.