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Some Maple Leafs Fans Love Kicking William Nylander Around

William Nylander has been a great offensive player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why then does he seem to be the fans whipping boy?

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ fans can be vicious. In fact, over the seasons, a number of players have felt the brunt of the fans’ anger and distaste. And, in Toronto, if you are not in the fans’ good books, you will hear it – over and over again.

I was first introduced to the anger of Maple Leafs’ fans with Jake Gardiner. Even when he was playing injured (a bad back), he never seemed to be forgiven for any mistake he made on the ice. 

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Now It’s William Nylander’s Turn

These days it seems to be William Nylander that feels the ire of fans. 

Nylander’s been with the team since 2015. He was drafted in the first round (eighth overall) by the Maple Leafs and, when he came up to the Maple Leafs’ roster at the end of the 2015-16 season, he hit the ice at full speed. During his first two full seasons, he scored 61 points in each. He even finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting after his rookie season. In fact, he was adored by much of the fanbase.

The trouble started when Nylander and his agent negotiated his first contract after his entry-level contract had expired. The fans became angry that he seemed to be holding a gun to the head of the management and signed with only (literally) a few minutes remaining before the signing deadline. 

William Nylander, Maple Leafs (2021-22 Upper Deck Canvas)

That was problem one. Problem two was that, after he came back with the team after signing, he had a horrible season. While he had scored a point in three-fourths of his games before the holdout when he came back he only scored 27 points in 54 games (one point every two games) and only seven goals.

Related: WHY DID THE MAPLE LEAFS SIGN CALLE JARNKROK TO A 4-YEAR CONTRACT?

Was Nylander Worth the Money?  

After the poor season following the contract signing, fans were all too ready to question whether he was worth the money in his contract. In fact, fans wondered if he’d ever be able to score 60 points again in his career. Then came COVID-19, and with the shortened seasons, Nylander didn’t hit 60 points – although he did play much better. 

Last season, he scored 80 points (34 goals and 46 assists) in 81 games. While he wasn’t quite a point-a-game player, he did have a career season. However, he was a minus-9 for his plus-minus. In addition, the mood of the Maple Leafs’ fanbase has been nasty because – yet again – the Maple Leafs didn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Nylander Seems to Be a Polarizing Player

Currently, fans seem to be both yes/no with Nylander. Some want to trade him to clear salary-cap space. Others point to the fact that he’s been one of the few Maple Leafs’ players who’s scoring both in the regular season and in the postseason.  

However, one play stands out as an iconic moment in Nylander’s season. For some the play was logical; but, for others, it simply pointed to the fact that Nylander was sometimes lazy or just didn’t care. 

Game 4 Series 1: Tampa Bay Lightning Wins 7-3

In Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning went up by a score of 5-0. With his team down 5-0, Nylander had a chance to fight for a loose puck but pulled up. He might or might not have been able to get to the puck first. He might have heard what he thought was a whistle. Who knows? He chose not to take a bump for the chance to get to the puck first. 

Some Fans Think Nylander Is a Chicken

It’s been a play that’s been talked about by fans since. Some fans think Nylander is the epitome of the kind of soft team that general manager Kyle Dubas built. In the words of one fan in a comment section to a Maple Leafs’ post. 

“The battle level of this Dubas-built team is the laughing stock of the NHL. Chicken ? gutless Nylander’s first priority is not to help the Leafs but to make sure he never gets hit. NEVER has a soft non-physical team EVER won the Stanley Cup.” [note that I edited the post for errors]

That fan isn’t alone. A number have lined up in comments sections to diss Nylander’s work ethic. 

Some Fans Support Nylander

On the other hand. There are fans who come to Nylander’s support. One fan responded to the accusation that Nylander was a chicken by saying that the fact he didn’t chase down one puck was NOT the reason the team lost Game 4. In fact, Nylander was the top Maple Leafs’ scorer in the playoffs and he didn’t play with Auston Matthews. He came back in that game to score two of the three Maple Leafs’ goals.

William Nylander, Maple Leafs (back of card above)

Specifically, the fan noted that Nylander “had no problem taking the hit carrying the puck through traffic or standing in front of the net. Maybe being down 5-0, like the rest of the team, he’d already checked out. He just made it a little more obvious. Or maybe he just simply misread the play. In the end, he did score two goals. Which was better than what anyone else did.”

The same fan went on to say that the last player “our fanbase beat up on and blamed for our playoff losses was just an important piece of the current Stanley Cup champions (Nazem Kadri). The whipping boy before Kadri was a big contributor to two cup teams (Phil Kessel).” 

The fan added, “Why take an unnecessary hit when the game is literally over? Love it when people overreact to a meaningless play.”

The fan predicted that “Nylander is going to be another ex-Leaf about to have playoff success elsewhere. The only question is whether he or Matthews wins a cup first post-Leafs.” [note that I edited the post for errors]

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Where Is Nylander Now? Will He Even Be in Toronto Next Season?

Nylander is Nylander. He is valued by some and held in disdain by others. But, he’s one player that Maple Leafs’ fans and media will always talk about. He hasn’t been alone throughout the seasons as a scapegoat or whipping boy for Maple Leafs’ fans. There have been others, but they’re gone now.

And like any whipping boy, there will always be a target on specific Nylander’s back.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. ANDREW

    July 19, 2022 at 8:31 am

    And Larry Murphy before that. Many leaf fans are fickle at best and myopic. I have been a life long leaf fan and I will be happy for Nylander when he is skating around the rink with the Cup over his head with another team. Why would he stay after his contract is up given the abuse? Teams will be lined up with suitcases filled with cash to add him to a championship team. Considering his entire body of work he is good value for the money.

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