Evan’s NHL Daily: Nylander Extension Close, Avalanche First Rounder Thriving

The goal of the Toronto Maple Leafs is to horde all of the most expensive forwards in the NHL, or so it appears. While nothing has officially been announced, it sure sounds like an extension for William Nylander is close to being done, and it will be another contract north of $10 million per season.

In the OHL, Calum Ritchie, who the Avalanche chose in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, is on a roll, and had one heck of a weekend.

And at CHN, we talked to beat writers around the league to get an idea of how some former Avalanche forwards are playing on their new NHL squads.

All that and more in this Monday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

Jared Bednar had no issue calling out his goaltending after the loss on Saturday. Makes sense, because neither goaltender was very good in the loss to the Florida Panthers.

How are former Avalanche forwards like Alex Newhook, Evan Rodrigues, and J.T. Compher performing on their new teams? I asked the beat writers in their respective cities to report back on how they look.

You can get a subscription to CHN+ for $29.99 a year with the code “evan10” and get access to the + content on every site in the network. In addition to the + content, everything will be ad-free, which is the biggest perk.

Calum Ritchie Update

A heck of a weekend for Calum Ritchie, who the Avalanche selected 27th overall in last June’s NHL Entry Draft. On Saturday, the Oshawa Generals picked up a dominant 10-2 victory, and Ritchie chipped in with five assists. Then, on Sunday, he picked up a powerplay goal. He’s got 27 points in 19 games since returning from shoulder surgery. I know some people think he might be a trade chip at the NHL Trade Deadline, and that’s possible, but the Avalanche are in desperate need of some young talent up front. Ritchie’s production is up from his draft year, which is what you want to see.

Calum Ritchie just doing his simple day-to-day Calum Ritchie things 🤪

SEALING THE DEAL! 5-1!#OSHvsSAG pic.twitter.com/3sJWMWqgiV

— Oshawa Generals (@Oshawa_Generals) January 8, 2024

Around The NHL

With three forwards already making over $10 million a season, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear dead set on adding another.

William Nylander, who’s having a tremendous season, is closing in on a massive extension with the Leafs. A deal around $11.5 million would make him the second highest paid winger in the NHL, and vault him into the top 10 as far as most expensive players go.

Friedman at the intermission says William Nylander deal in Toronto is close, AAV is expected to be around $11.5M.

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) January 7, 2024

Both Mitch Marner and John Tavares are UFA’s after next season, so this may be a one year thing (unless they deal one), but that’s still a lot of money tied up into four forwards. I’m not sure that’s a recipe for success in the NHL.

And yes, if this deal gets done, which it sounds like it will, Mikko Rantanen’s agent will be taking notice.

National Hockey Now

What has Erik Karlsson given the Penguins so far? (+)

Travis Konecny is a shorthanded machine this year.

Eight trade options to help the New Jersey Devils blueline.