‘A DREAM COME TRUE’ FOR DROUIN BEING A CANADIEN.
Ask William Nylander how hi s s ummer went and he simply shrugs his shoulders and in his typically understated fashion, says it was good. Just good? “It was actually pretty sick,” he replied.
Yes, sick is an appropriate way of describing Nylander’s off-season. After the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the 21-year-old joined Sweden at the world championship in France and Germany, where he not only helped the team win gold by scoring seven goals and 14 points in 10 games, but was also named tournament MVP.
“I think it was a great tournament,” said Nylander. “I mean, we had a great team and I learned a lot. You got to play with the best players from Sweden, so it was lots of fun.”
Indeed, Nylander said playing on a line with Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom, whom he called “one of the best passers in the league,” was an inspiration. And he might have inspired another national stamp to be created when he tackled goalie Henrik Lundqvist in a hilarious end- of- game hug. But the sickest part might have been what happened on the flight home.
Not willing to risk their valuable cargo to the volatility of the skies, the Swedish Air Force escorted the team’s plane back to the country — something usually reserved for important dignitaries.
“They flew with us the whole flight,” said Nylander. “I think you learn and you get the feeling of what it’s like to win, so that’s lots of fun. I want to do it again.”
Nylander wasn’t necessarily talking about winning another world championship, but rather just having success. He had a Calder Trophy-calibre season in the NHL last year, ranking third in rookie scoring with 61 points. The challenge now is using that as a springboard for Year 2. And it’s not just Nylander. Whether it was Auston Matthews winning the Calder Trophy or Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Columbus’ Zach Werenski playing beyond their years, a lot of eyes will be on whether last year’s rookie class can take another step t oward stardom as sophomores. The Leafs will be an especially interesting case study.
Fr o m Matt h e ws (40 goals) and Connor Brown ( 20 goals) to Mitch Marner ( 61 points) and defenceman Nikita Zaitsev ( 36 points), Toronto will be counting on many second-year players to either match or build upon what they did as rookies. If not, a team that surprised many for skipping a step in their rebuilding process could step backwards.
“It was a good year and we have to come back and be hungry again this year,” said Nylander, speaking for the first time since returning to Toronto this week. “We can improve even more. I think we have expectations of our own, so I think we want to go just as far as the fans do.”
“We have to be better than last year,” added Marner, who was also outstanding for Canada at the world championship, scoring four goals and 12 points in 10 games. “That’s the main factor here. We want to do better than we did last year. I think we all came ready to play this year and we all have confidence to go farther.”
It is often easier to exceed expectations than it is to meet them. It is why secondyear players sometimes suffer a so- called sophomore slump. Not only is their increased pressure to perform. But there is also increased competition, with opponents more mindful about what a player can do on the ice.
Perhaps that is why the Leafs acquired Patrick Marleau as a free agent. Not only will his experience be an asset to a young team that is sure to endure its share of growing pains, but he also alleviates the need for Matthews, Marner and Nylander to carry the load by themselves.
“Every team is going to be coming for us. We have to be on our toes every game,” said Nylander. “Having great veterans like that will always help the younger guys.”
For Nylander, who has one more year remaining on his entry- level contract, there is added incentive in wanting to build upon last year’s numbers. If he puts two good years together, he could be in line for a longterm contract extension like the one Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl signed (eight years and $ 68 million). If not, he could be looking at something similar to Calgary’s Sam Bennett’s ( two years and $3.9 million).
“I just focus on the season right now,” said Nylander, who admitted that his agent and the Leafs have begun preliminary talks. “Nothing big. I just want to get ready and be prepared for when the season starts. We’ll see what happens.”