Yeah, if his priority is to maximize his AAV, his best bet is probably to play out his current contract and go to free agency, but the eighth year is worth a lot to somebody his age, because by the time he’s 35 there’s a good chance he’ll be in decline. I don’t know if he’s thinking that far ahead, but if I was him I’d be willing to take a few hundred thousand less on the AAV to get the eighth year.

Aren’t we supposed to be talking about Sebastian Aho here? He’s a year younger than Nylander, but still old enough that he was probably thinking about that extra year in his 30s when he decided to sign his extension.