William Nylander Tries to Explain Lack of Response to Hit on Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs got off the schneid on Thursday night, beating the Anaheim Ducks 6–4 on home ice, but that’s not what the hockey world is talking about in the aftermath. Instead, Radko Gudas stole the show, delivering a dirty knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews late in the second period that had the captain in serious distress, forcing him out of the game.

---

Gudas’ hit was bad enough, but what also caught everyone’s attention was the lack of response from Toronto after seeing their leader and best player on the receiving end of it. None of Matthews’ four teammates on the ice confronted the rugged Ducks defenseman, including William Nylander, who appeared to be watching the collision unfold before raising his arm looking for a penalty to be called.

Despite that, the Maple Leafs’ superstar winger said postgame that he somehow didn’t see the hit, adding that he should have jumped in to defend his captain either way.

Nylander said:

“I didn’t really see the hit. I know I passed the puck to him, but I didn’t really see what happened. I didn’t know the severity of it, and then probably should’ve gone in there, probably should’ve jumped in… There’s four other guys on the ice that can get in there as well. It’s a full team thing. We did that in the third & made them pay for what they did to Matty,”

The 29-year-old Nylander tallied two points (one goal, one assist) in the win, pushing his season totals up to 62 points (23 goals, 39 assists) across 49 games played.

It certainly wasn’t a good look for any of the Maple Leafs players who were on the ice, but especially Nylander, who was right near the play and seemingly saw it all happen. He obviously wouldn’t know the full severity of the hit or injury in the moment, but when Matthews, or any teammate, gets taken out like that, everyone has to step in and show it won’t be tolerated—and Toronto once again failed to do so.

In some ways, the sequence was a microcosm of the failures this Maple Leafs core group has had over the years—too often lacking the intensity and team togetherness required when the going gets tough.

Next: Could Maple Leafs Gamble on the Talent of Elias Pettersson This Summer?