William Nylander’s name is suddenly at the center of a new fan theory in Toronto, and it has everything to do with Kirill Marchenko.
The idea making the rounds is simple enough: if the Maple Leafs have already brought in a winger who looks like a Nylander type, maybe they’re setting up a bigger move. In this version of the story, that could mean Nylander being shipped out for a top defenseman.
It’s the kind of speculation that grows fast when a team is sliding, and the Leafs are in no position to shut it down with their play. They’ve dropped four straight at home, and the latest loss to the Avalanche was ugly enough that injuries can’t be used as the only explanation anymore. Toronto battled back, but the defensive lapses and the lack of effort kept showing up.
No player has drawn more heat than Nylander. Against Colorado, he didn’t register a shot, finished minus-4, and was singled out for poor defensive effort that directly led to a goal against. The numbers around his season are still strong on paper - 22 points in 20 games - but his production has cooled since the opening stretch, and he sits third-worst among Leafs forwards in plus/minus at minus-7.
That’s part of what has fans frustrated. The issue with Nylander’s game has lingered through multiple coaching changes, and some supporters are starting to wonder if the problem isn’t the pieces around him. One lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, pushed that idea further, first raising concerns about his health before suggesting something bigger might be hanging over him: a looming trade.
Marchenko is the name that keeps coming up because of the way fans see him fitting into the lineup. Toronto acquired him earlier this season, and the argument is that he checks a lot of the same boxes as Nylander.
He’s viewed as an offensive winger with elite scoring upside, strong speed, and a prime-age profile. In that fan theory, he could slide into a second-line role and make a future setup like McKenna - Tavares - Marchenko feel very real.
The appeal goes beyond scoring. The belief is that Marchenko would help Toronto hold the puck better and bring more reliable work on the defensive side than Nylander has shown. The post even framed it bluntly: Marchenko would be “a godsend defensively compared to Nylander - he at least shows effort.”
The broader criticism of Nylander is less about skill than about how he applies it. He has the talent to change games, but the perception is that he does it on his own terms.
When there’s a scoring chance, he looks engaged. When there isn’t, fans see a player who drifts.
The theory on X took that one step further, suggesting that if Nylander senses the team is ready to move on, he may respond by pulling back even more.
That’s not a flattering read, and it’s not something that can be pinned on him as a fact. But it does reflect where the conversation has gone. What used to be admiration for Nylander’s skill is starting to give way to questions about his motivation, and in Toronto right now, that’s becoming the louder story.
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