William Nylander isn’t backing away from the conversation around his game, and that alone should give Maple Leafs fans something to hold onto.
The criticism has been building lately, especially around his effort level, and his showing against Colorado did nothing to quiet it. Still, Nylander remains one of Toronto’s most dangerous weapons.
He can flip a game in an instant. The frustration comes from the other side of that coin: fans want more urgency in his own end and more of a push to create chances instead of waiting for them to appear.
Nylander said he knows there’s room to improve, and he made it clear that his work away from the puck has to get better. He also acknowledged that while he may not be in a slump, he isn’t getting the same looks he’s used to. His own words pointed to the issue:
Got to try to get the puck more on my stick. I’m skating around there with no puck on my stick, so that makes it hard to generate. But trying to work without the puck, that’s what you can do when you don’t have the puck on your stick.
The production is still there. Nylander has 22 points in 20 games and is tied for first on the team in goals.
But the numbers only tell part of the story, and they don’t erase the moments that have left people wanting more. At times this season, he’s been caught too far behind the play, and against Colorado it stood out in a big way.
That night, he finished minus-4 with no shots, and his play in his own zone was rough to watch. Gabriel Landeskog found far too much room, and Nylander wasn’t close enough to make it competitive. For a player with his skill, those lapses are hard to ignore.
The encouraging part is that Nylander is at least saying the right things. The next step is showing it. Fans have grown tired of the swing from praise to frustration and back again, and they want something steadier.
There’s also another layer to this: Nylander is a better defensive forward than he usually gets credit for. His stick-checking can be elite, and he’s quick to lift sticks, steal pucks and turn play the other way. The question is why that part of his game isn’t showing up more often.
If he wants more chances, he may need to start manufacturing them himself. That means being more active in his own end, even if it isn’t his favorite part of the job.
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Maple Leafs Make A Net Change With Pressure Suddenly On Hiller
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Sergei Bobrovsky is being given the night off after a rough run, and the decision puts the spotlight on Hiller to find the right answer in a hurry. Toronto is chasing a win, and the hope is that a different look in net can give the group a better chance to get one. [Read more 🡒]