The Maple Leafs already know William Nylander can fill the net. The real question now is what Toronto can get from him beyond the goals.
Nylander just finished a season that had plenty of bumps around him, but his production was never in doubt. He scored 30 goals and 79 points in 65 games, a 100-point pace over a full year, and still finished eight points ahead of John Tavares despite playing 17 fewer games. His 1.22 points per game was the best rate of his NHL career, and there were long stretches when he looked nearly impossible to handle.
There was a burst in the middle of it all that showed exactly why he matters so much. After an 11-game goal drought, Nylander put up four points against Pittsburgh, then rolled into a 16-point run over nine games. Toronto even won seven of nine games during that stretch, which briefly made it feel like the season might be turning.
But the story wasn’t clean. There were nights when the effort level didn’t match the numbers.
His engagement faded at times, the puck management got loose, and the backchecking wasn’t always there. The minus-14 was the worst of his NHL career, though Toronto’s overall team performance makes that stat harder to judge in isolation.
Tavares was minus-28 and Matthew Knies was minus-30. Still, the criticism around Nylander wasn’t invented out of thin air.
Some of that may have been tied to the strange season he lived through. He dealt with injuries, including a lower-body issue that kept him out for an extended stretch.
There also seemed to be some tension with former coach Craig Berube. Nobody outside the room knows the full story, so it would be a stretch to pin everything on that.
But with Jim Hiller now behind the bench, Nylander gets a reset. The scoring is already established.
The bigger ask is whether he can bring that same edge more consistently and embrace the weight that comes with being 30 and one of the veteran voices in the organization.
Auston Matthews is facing a different kind of challenge. His issue isn’t effort or responsibility.
If anything, Toronto may have leaned too hard on those parts of his game last season. He spent huge chunks of time in tough matchups, often without a true high-end right winger next to him, and the offensive payoff just wasn’t what the Maple Leafs are used to seeing from their captain.
Hiller seems determined to change that. He has talked about getting Matthews back to having the puck more, attacking with it, playing creatively and, perhaps most importantly, celebrating offence again.
Toronto’s additions of Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime should also give Hiller more choices for the checking work Matthews was asked to absorb so often. If that load shifts, Matthews can spend more time doing what makes him elite.
There’s also the possibility of putting Matthews and Nylander back together. During Hiller’s previous three seasons in Toronto, they logged 1,342 five-on-five minutes as a pair and outscored opponents 76-47.
That’s a strong case for revisiting the combination. Last season they were 13-13 in five-on-five goals, but the roster around them was thinner and the team looked very different.
If Easton Cowan or Gavin McKenna becomes a legitimate top-six piece, Hiller may have enough depth to reunite his two best offensive weapons without stripping the rest of the lineup.
That’s the balance Toronto is chasing. Nylander doesn’t need to become someone else.
Matthews doesn’t either. Nylander’s job is to keep the creativity and scoring touch that make him dangerous while tightening the details and showing more consistent leadership.
Matthews may need the opposite treatment: less burden, more freedom, more room to attack.
If Hiller can pull that off, the Maple Leafs may end up with more firepower than last season’s record suggested.
In Other News...
Leafs Prospects Are Already Sending A Message Before Camp
Before training camp even opens, the Maple Leafs are already getting a look at the kind of work that can shape a season. Gavin McKenna and Ben Danford were spotted practicing in Muskoka alongside John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, Scott Laughton, and Mitch Marner, a summer setting that carries real significance for two prospects trying to make their way into Torontos long-term picture. For young players, those reps are about more than just staying sharp. They are a chance to see the pace, habits, and expectations that come with being around established NHL talent.
For Toronto, the setting is especially interesting because it gives McKenna and Danford a chance to start building chemistry with current Leafs while absorbing details from veterans who know what it takes to hold down a role in this market. Summer ice time does not decide anything on its own, but it can help a prospect stand out before the real competition begins. If either player is going to push into a bigger future role, moments like these are where the first impression starts to form. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Made A Goalie Bet That Could Haunt Matthews Window
The Maple Leafs have added another high-profile piece to their goaltending picture, signing veteran Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21 million contract with a $7 million average annual value. It is the kind of move that signals urgency, and it also comes with the sort of risk Toronto has tried to avoid in the past: a long-term commitment to an older goalie on a deal built to matter right away.
Because of NHL 35-plus contract rules and Bobrovskys full no-movement clause, the Leafs wont have much wiggle room if the fit goes sideways. The timing makes it more delicate, too, since the deal runs into Auston Matthews final contracted season and could tighten the clubs cap flexibility right when the front office needs it most. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Still Have One Quiet Roster Decision Before Camp
The Maple Leafs have already done plenty of their offseason reshaping, but there is still a subtle layer to sort out before camp opens. With the roster taking shape, the next moves look less about headline additions and more about padding the depth chart, especially if the club wants a little more insurance on the blue line and among its bottom-six forwards.
One path would be inviting a few familiar or useful veterans into camp on PTOs, giving Toronto a closer look without committing to a full-season answer too soon. A depth defenseman like Carson Soucy fits that idea, and so do possible forward reunions with James van Riemsdyk or Michael Bunting, but the bigger question is whether any of those names can make the Leafs more comfortable with the margins of the roster before opening night arrives. [Read more 🡒]