Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman expressed his desire to stick with his hometown team for the long haul on Thursday.
"I would love to stay in Toronto," Hyman said on a conference call, according to Yahoo's Justin Cuthbert. "It's where I grew up. I want to be a Leaf for a long time."
Hyman isn't scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2020-21 season, and his current deal counts for $2.25 million against the salary cap. He's eligible to sign a contract extension at the start of the new league year, which is traditionally July 1, but that date is now unclear due to the league's coronavirus stoppage.
The 27-year-old is glad he doesn't need to negotiate a new deal amid such uncertainty.
"Everything will probably be sorted out with the cap by then and whatnot," Hyman said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
The Maple Leafs acquired Hyman from the Florida Panthers in 2015 in exchange for Greg McKegg and a conditional seventh-round pick. He's gone on to develop into a key cog in Toronto's attack, playing an important role on both the Auston Matthews and John Tavares lines over the past two campaigns.
Hyman was in the midst of a career season before the hiatus, posting 21 goals and 16 assists in 51 games.
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