Nylander signs ELC

The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander(‘s agent, probably) have had some conversations over the past few days, and as such, have decided to transfer the output of these conversations onto several pieces of paper with signatures and fun legalese. By that, I mean the two sides have agreed on a three year entry level contract, the terms of which were not disclosed.

This isn’t horribly important news. Let’s be real – teams and their first round draft picks, particularly ones that aren’t playing the NCAA long-con (looking at you, Blake Wheeler and Kevin Hayes) agree to ELC’s all the time. As well, there isn’t a ton of variation on salary. Higher draft picks tend to make a base salary at or near rookie max (currently $925,000), along with a lot of variable bonuses that depend on their position in the draft.

While we wait for the actual numbers, here’s a look at previous 8th overall picks and their earnings:

Safe to say, we’re looking at $925,000 as a base and about $1.5-$1.8 million as a potential salary after performance bonuses. Even if Nylander were to totally rip it up, he’s not going to break the bank. In the event that he goes back to Sweden for another year, he’ll make a number that doesn’t matter to MLSE. If he plays on the Marlies this year, which his European background allows, his deal will slide (like sending a player back to junior) as long as he doesn’t touch the Leafs roster afterwards. Most players in his pick range get between $60,000 to $70,000 on the AHL part of their deal, which likely makes Sweden a more lucrative option for him in the immediate.