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Has the Maple Leafs’ William Nylander Turned the Corner?

The Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander has had a tough few seasons in Toronto since his new contract. Has he turned a corner in his play?

I remember when I first started to cover the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was during the time of William Nylander’s holdout. What was interesting about the holdout was that fans supported Nylander the entire way through it. Although the contract negotiations were contentious, most fans seemed to believe the youngster had great talent and was worth waiting for.

William Nylander scores on Carey Price

However, when Nylander came back in the team at the very last second before the clock struck midnight on December 1st, 2018, he went on to have a disastrously poor remainder of the season. At that point, fans started to react and their feelings began to shift.

Suddenly Nylander was getting the big money, but he wasn’t delivering.

Related: Warning Maple Leafs’ Fans: Don’t Be Ignorant with Mitch Marner

Maple Leafs’ Fans Turned on Nylander after His Return to the Team

I had written a post about Nylander in January 2019 wondering if fans had turned on him. When I suggested in that post that Nylander might move to centre to replace the Maple Leafs’ third-line center Nazem Kadri, one reader put it bluntly, “Do you really think that Nylander could replace Kadri at center on the third line fore-checking, and going into the corners? Don’t make me laugh. Nylander hasn’t done anything but float around the ice.”

Another added, “Trade Nylander, the most self-centered player in the NHL, NOT a guy who bleeds Leaf blue. Kadri was the guy who kept grinding it out all through the bad years, and there were plenty of them. Now he deserves a chance to win it all, something I doubt Nylander really cares about as long as he is being well paid.”

Funny how things turned out. After vetoing a trade to the Calgary Flames for T.J. Brodie, Kadri went to the Colorado Avalanche and interestingly has played well and found a home. However parts of his game haven’t changed, and he hasn’t seemed to learn how to avoid being suspended during the postseason. It happened again this season.

By the way, Brodie signed as a free agent during the offseason so the Maple Leafs didn’t lose anyone to get him. And, in contrast, Nylander was the best player on the ice during the first round train wreck his Maple Leafs team played against the Montreal Canadiens. As a note, the Canadiens just tonight swept through the Winnipeg Jets to claim the North Division championship.

What happened to Nylander in the Two Seasons from 2019 to 2021?

As noted, Nylander was the best Maple Leafs’ player on the ice during the abbreviated Maple Leafs’ 2020-21 Stanley Cup playoff run. Although there might still be a number of hockey fans who believe he remains soft, a floater, and should be traded, most fans would now disagree. For his part, Nylander’s gone far toward dispelling any get-rid-of-him feelings that might have remained. Many big Maple Leafs fans are now also big Nylander fans.

That’s because Nylander showed up. He carried a second line consisting of the two Alex’s – Kerfoot and Galchenyuk – to offensive success. Over the seven-game series, the young Swede scored five goals and totalled eight points in seven games. When the first line went dormant, Nylander stepped up. He was flying on the ice and looked to be an offensive threat whenever he wound it up.

Has Nylander Hit His Ceiling?

Has Nylander hit his ceiling? I don’t think so. I predict there’s more left in the tank. He growing in confidence and drove his own line all series, even without John Tavares on the ice to help. He averaged five minutes fewer minutes ice time and scored far more regularly than his first-line teammates. He made a consistent impact, game after game. Even when he was double-shifted, he generated offense against any and all line match-ups.

I think Nylander’s turned the corner. Given his success, it isn’t fair any longer to call him overpaid or self-absorbed. He showed himself to have a hungry heart.

Related: Maple Leafs Fans Shouldn’t Forget Matthews’ & Campbell’s Great Years

What’s Coming for the 2021-22 Season?

What happens next season might be very interesting. My desire is that the organization re-sign Zach Hyman and create a second line of Hyman, Nylander, and Tavares. I also hope the team signs Galchenyuk and puts him on the first line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner where his skills can be magnified.

William Nylander, Maple Leafs

I have to believe there’s a group of fans who’ll want to see Nylander put with Matthews again after a season of having them on different lines. I’m not one of those people. I believe the team should challenge Marner and Matthews to go to film study school with a coach and let them work through what happened during the playoffs to see if they can figure out why the ability to score deserted them.

I believe both Matthews and Marner are skilled enough, smart enough, and driven enough to figure it out. In the meantime, it will be fun to see Nylander start the season. Once Maple Leafs’ fans can look forward and not backward, there’s more on the horizon.

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