'The Great One' has weighed in on William Nylander's contract situation, and he's not shying away from picking a side.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still waiting to add Nylander to the lineup as the young Swede has yet to sign a contract with the club. If the talented forward does not strike a deal before December 1st, he will be unable to play for the Leafs, or any other NHL team, for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
And while the hockey world has debated this topic at great length, No. 99 decided to give his thoughts on the situation Monday while appearing on TSN 1050's Leaf Lunch .
"Ultimately, I think [William Nylander] has to sit down and say look. I'm playing in a great city, I'm playing with a great organization, I'm playing with an Original Six team. Do I really want to not be there?" Gretzky commented on the situation. "I can't speak for him because he's made his decision, but if I was that young man, I would have been there September 15th."
Pretty powerful words from one of the most influential people in the history of the sport. And while there have been many varying opinions on the matter, hearing Gretzky's thoughts on the matter only demonstrates how much more of a business the league has become since his playing days.
As reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman over the weekend, the Maple Leafs have already started to test Nylander's trade market ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline.
If you're a fan of the Maple Leafs, you're likely in Gretzky's corner, but not just for his thoughts on Nylander. Gretzky also had some pretty high praise for both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner while on Leafs Lunch on Monday.
"In a lot of ways, Marner and Matthews remind me a lot of how Mark Messier and I were together," the NHL legend said. As far as dynamic duos in the sport of hockey go, I don't think you could garner a more impressive comparison, especially considering the source.
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