Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs William Nylander Gearing Up for a Breakout Season

Once a polarizing Toronto Maple Leafs’ player, William Nylander has been given more responsibility and expectation. Can he come through?

by
Old Prof
October 6, 2022

In today’s practice, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander centered the third line with Nick Robertson on his left and Denis Malgin on his right. On one hand, that makes perfect sense. He’s been absolutely flying during the preseason games he’s played. He’s been driving the offense in ways I haven’t seen before.

Leafs lines from practice Oct. 5/22

Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Engvall-Kerfoot-Jarnkrok
Robertson-Nylander-Malgin
AstonReese-Kampf-AubeKubel
Extra: Simmonds, Gaudette, Steeves, Holmberg, Clifford

Reilly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Giordano-Sandin
Kral-Mete

Murray
Samson
Kallgren
— David Alter (@dalter) October 5, 2022

Not only that, for the enigmatic Nylander, he’s been totally engaged and has been carrying his linemates. If Denis Malgin and Nick Robertson make the Maple Leafs’ roster, it’s in part because Nylander has been giving them chance after chance to show their skills.

Every Season Nylander Has Grown and Gotten Better

As I write this, I’m sure several Maple Leafs’ fans remain unconvinced. They see in Nylander a player who’s soft and who avoids confrontation – a player whose reputation suggests that he floats around the edges of the play. He doesn’t engage the play from the “tough spots on the ice.”

Being asked to play center is an interesting move. It is also, I believe, a testament to how head coach Sheldon Keefe has decided to engage the young Swedish winger – oops, used to be a winger.

Perhaps it’s also correct to say Nylander used to be a center, who turned out to be a winger. During the 2015-16 season with the Toronto Marlies, Nylander played center regularly. Not so much since.

Perhaps that’s what coach Keefe noted when he said after practice, “He’s done it before and I think he has the ability.”

If the Experiment Goes Well, Might Nylander Become a Fulltime Center?

Right now, Keefe warned onlookers not to make too much of Nylander’s move from the wing. He’s probably only a placeholder until regular second-line center John Tavares returns. Tavares is nursing an oblique injury.

However, the report also seems to be setting us up to watch Nylander play center in this weekend’s home-and-home series against the Detroit Red Wings. If that experiment goes well, perhaps coach Keefe will consider moving Nylander to the role of the second-line center and shift Tavares to the wing. That move has been considered for a while.

Coach Keefe Has Put His Trust in Nylander’s Progress

What’s most interesting to me is the trust coach Keefe has invested in Nylander this season. Keefe noted that it was “important for Willy to get some reps through the camp because he does play center there at times.”

More deeply, there’s a sense in the move that Nylander’s been elevated to more of a leadership role with the team. He might be polarizing to some Maple Leafs’ fans, but no one can deny his talent. He’s extremely gifted. Now it seems that his work ethic has come to be expected.

What gives Nylander the ability to have a breakout season – even though he was just short of being a point-a-game player last season with 34 goals and 46 assists (for 80 points) in 81 games – is that he can control games with his speed, puck control, and well-placed shot.

Nylander can be absolute magic with the puck. And, that’s what we’ve been seeing this season. In the past, he’s appeared to be content letting other players do the work of puck retrieving so he could set up in the scoring lanes.

This season, he’s the one carrying the puck and (as noted) driving the offense. He’s the one dishing the puck to his linemates. Isn’t that what a center is supposed to be doing? The answer is Yes.

Nylander Is Set for Further Movement Forward

In short, in the season’s past, the belief was that Nylander “could” become an impactful player who would bring positive value to the team. This season, Nylander’s offensive skills and prowess are being counted on to lead his team.

Being asked to play center comes with an expectation that he can and will do the job. Coach Keefe seems to agree with my belief that Nylander is gearing up for a breakout season.

He’s setting up both that expectation and that opportunity.