How the Maple Leafs’ William Nylander spent his extra-long offseason
Over the weekend, fans counted down the hours to the Maple Leafs’ Saturday deadline to sign a new contract with William Nylander. Had there been no agreement, the 22-year-old superstar forward may have had to sit out the rest of the season. Finally—with, reportedly, five minutes to spare—the Leafs and Nylander hammered out a six-year deal.
While he was in contractual limbo, Nylander was off the ice, giving him plenty of extra time to train in the gym, work on his tan and wait by the phone. Here’s how he spent his extra-long offseason.
Nothing like kicking off your offseason with a little sun at the beach:
In September, Nylander announced an endorsement deal with Reebok Canada:
There was evidently plenty of time to hit the gym:
Speaking of endorsements, Nylander also starred in this commercial for Sonnet Insurance:
He played some tennis against Boston Bruin David Pastrnak:
Beach? Check. Flip flops? Check. Robe? Check? Offseason beard in progress? Check:
Nylander got his ping-pong on at the Smashfest Charity Ping-Pong Challenge, where he won the pro-am tournament:
PRO-AM-CHAMP! #SmashfestVII pic.twitter.com/qzGkAARz9D
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) August 2, 2018
This may or may not be a re-enactment of how Nylander’s contract negotiations went with Leafs GM Kyle Dubas:
Nylander got prepped for the season with an intensive MMA workout, along with some fellow NHL’ers:
An afternoon out on the golf course is enough to make even pro hockey players tired:
The Nylander boys (William and Alexander) posing for their would-be Swedish EDM album cover:
Even during his downtime, Nylander was skating in a Leafs helmet:
And here’s what he posted shortly after his contract extension was announced. Never in doubt:
 posing for their would-be Swedish EDM album cover:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQpR6ugciE/
Even during his downtime, Nylander was skating in a Leafs helmet:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqxagDOA05l/
And here's what he posted shortly after his contract extension was announced. Never in doubt:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq3Iy55nu1j/
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