Quoting: coga16
I dont think you are fully understanding the situation,, you are look at it in some isolated vaccum. How hard is it understand. Nylander can play hockey if he wants after Dec 1st, he can force the Leafs to either pay his demands in contract, trade him so another team will pay his demands, or if they dont want to do either, he can go play somewhere else short term and let the Leafs have a valuable asset not be part of their roster in a year that they have the chance to be a serious playoff team.
It most cases the leafs will be forced to do something they might not fully want to do, Nylander has more of the power and will get the best results out of the situation.
Or Dubas can just say, "Fine, sit. Come talk to me when you feel like being a team player and having a real comversation. Oh you want to go to Russia? Go for it, enjoy it there until you hit free agency because we don't get bullied." That is the power TO has, they have a good team and Nylander makes them better. I'd much rather make him suffer than be forced into a bad situation.
Here is another point, if anyone was willing to give him the money he's asking for, that would have be mentioned. It hasn't because no one wants to pay him 8 mill a year. So what are his options?
Option 1 sign a contract with the Leafs and get playing in the best league in the world.
Option 2 demand a trade and see if anyone will pay you what you want. Hasn't happened because no one wants to pay him 8 mill
Option 3 don't sign and go to Russia. Then he can watch his value plummet because he loses a year of his career.
Which is the most likely of those 3 scenarios?
Also there isn't a scenario where he gets traded for peanuts and then signs a deal TO would definitely be willing to sign him for.
This guy doesn't hate TO, he's been open about wanting to be here long term.