William Nylander signs 8-year, $92 million contract extension with Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension, becoming one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.

Nylander's extension is the second big-money contract extension the Leafs have given out recently. They inked Auston Matthews, the league's leading goalscorer, to a four-year extension in the offseason.

The new contract has an average annual value of $11.5 million, which puts him well into the top-10 biggest contracts in the league in terms of average salary.

The deal keeps Nylander in Toronto through his age 35 season. He is currently the leafs top points scorer with 54 (21 goals, 33 assists), nine more than Matthews, the team's second-highest points scorer.

Nylander also leads the team in shorthanded goals with two, and he's tied for second on the team in game-winning goals with three. His 33 assists leads the team and is tied for seventh in the league, while his 21 goals are the second-most on the team and joint-11th-most in the NHL.

Toronto currently sits third in the Atlantic Division, eight points behind the first-placed Boston Bruins. 

Read more: 2023/24 NHL Stanley Cup odds

The Leafs are looking to break a near-half-century Stanley Cup drought, having last won it in the 1966/67 season. 

With two of their stars signed for the foreseeable future and after getting past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 20 years last season, the Leafs are on the right path.