The Toronto Maple Leafs and star forward William Nylander had until 5pm Eastern time on Saturday to agree on a contract or Nylander would not be able to play and possibly sit out for the rest of the 2018-2019 season.
At the last minute a deal was struck, the Maple Leafs and Nylander agreed to terms on a six-year, $41.4 million dollar contract extension, putting an end to a stalemate that has dragged on through the first 26 games of the regular season, Nylander gets a $24.5 million dollar signing bonus.
Nylander was the eighth overall pick by Toronto in the 2014 NHL entry draft. Since entering the league in 2016, Nylander has posted 48 goals and 87 assists in 185 games with the Leafs, including back-to-back 61-point seasons.