The Nashville Predators Should Go All-In And Acquire William Nylander

As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to try to open up enough cap space to lock up Mitch Marner, the Nashville Predators should take a look at acquiring William Nylander.

This would be an all-in move for the Nashville Predators, as this would stack up the team, and they may not have to give up any important roster players due to Toronto’s cap situation.

They would only likely have to give up draft capital and prospects just to make it work, and it should be interesting because William Nylander is that good of a player.

Nylander burst on to the scene in 2016, scoring six goals and adding seven assists for 13 points in his first 22 game stint in the NHL as a 19-year-old.

He quickly improved from there, scoring at least 20 goals and exactly 61 points in each of his next two seasons.

2018-19 was a massive drop off by his standards after he only managed to rack up 27 points in 54 games after a massive contract dispute, but he did show signs of promise during the IIHF World Championship.

He led the entire tournament in points, scoring five goals and 13 assists for 18 points, which is a bit over two points per game.

He looked like a completely different player than he was in the regular season, and at 23 years old he could be a serious game changer for any team he’s on, whether he stays on the Maple Leafs or heads elsewhere.

He’s a guy who can make the Nashville Predators offense completely dangerous, as he can slot in next to Matt Duchene on the second line and likely push Mikael Granlund down to the third line, making all three of Nashville’s top lines look like first lines on every other team.

He’s a great passer, he’s a good shooter and he’s a great skater, he can pretty much do it all on the ice, which makes him a huge asset to have.

Not to mention he still has many years of hockey left in the tank, so acquiring him would be an investment that would definitely pay off for the Nashville Predators.

But what will they have to give up for William Nylander?

I’d say it would take two first-round picks, next year’s second-rounder that was acquired from New Jersey, Calle Jarnkrok and Alexandre Carrier.

This trade gives Toronto a ton of cap space and a ton of future assets, including Alexandre Carrier, who is a very good defensive prospect who is good enough to crack the NHL roster.

Carrier will make Toronto’s defense better now, as it is still looking very weak with the loss of Jake Gardiner, and the first-round picks will help the Toronto Maple Leafs acquire future assets to stay competitive for years to come.

Calle Jarnkrok was just thrown in there to make it work under the cap, but maybe he has a resurgence in Toronto and becomes a solid penalty killer and a guy who can provide around 15 goals a season.

All in all, this trade would be a win for both teams, but the Nashville Predators could be the team on top after this one, as this trade would make them one of the deadliest teams in the NHL and could lead them to a Stanley Cup.