Maple Leafs' William Nylander Says Toronto Is 'Home' After $92M Contract Extension
"This is the longest I've ever spent in one place."
Toronto Maple Leafs player William Nylander on the ice during a hockey game. Right: William Nylander in Toronto with the CN Tower in the background.
Maple Leafs player William Nylander says he consider Toronto his "home" after his contract with the NHL team was extended for eight years.
Nylander shared photos from downtown Toronto on Monday following the news of his deal, worth $92 million, and his teammates are also celebrating the extension.
During a scrum on Monday, the Leafs right-winger expressed it was a "special feeling" to know he'll be staying in Toronto.
"This has been home for me," the 27-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs player said.
"This is the longest I've ever spent in one place in my entire life. It's funny, the other day I was talking to a friend and I said, 'And then we go home' in referring to Toronto. Without even thinking about it, this was home."
Later on Monday Nylander shared a couple of photos from downtown Toronto on Instagram.
In the pictures Nylander is standing with his dogs and his family. You can even see the iconic CN Tower in the background.
"We staying," he captioned the post.
Nylander's teammates also shared their congrats after the news was announced.
Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and Max Domi all wrote messages to Nylander in their Instagram stories on Monday.
"Congrats @williamnylander. Well deserved brother," Domi wrote in his message.
Nylander, who was born in Calgary and raised in the U.S., was the No. 8 pick for the Leafs in the 2014 NHL draft, as per the NHL website.
According to ESPN, Nylander has "produced 198 goals and 484 points through 558 NHL games to date" and is "fifth overall in NHL scoring with 21 goals and 54 points in 37 games."
He isn't the only player on the team who has a massive contract in place.
In August 2023, Auston Matthews became the top-paid NHL player when news of his four-year contract extension worth US$53 million was announced.
Nylander spoke about what it means to have the Leafs invest in him and his fellow teammates.
"That's ultimately why I wanted to stay here for eight years was I wanted to give it a run to try to win the [Stanley] Cup," Nylander said as per ESPN.
"Before I signed here [I said] how important that was to me. I know what our group is capable of."
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.