Leafs notebook: Teammates give Nylander his space

As much as his coach and his teammates want him back, it sounds as if everyone on the Maple Leafs is staying clear of restricted free agent William Nylander.

“I leave him alone,” said centre Auston Matthews. “He’s obviously focused on making sure he’s in good shape, so when (a contract) gets done he can come here. He’s a big part of this team. I talked to him a little bit over the last couple of weeks.

“But I don’t want to keep peppering him and bothering him. He probably knows as much as you do. He’s letting his agents and management here handle all that stuff. When he signs, he signs.”

Leafs coach Mike Babcock said he kept in touch with Nylander — like he does with other players all summer — but pulled back when it became clear there would be a contract impasse.

“I shut it down totally,” said Babcock. “I didn’t want him or his agent to be thinking I was trying to (influence the situation). Willie knows we want him back. We’d like him back as soon as possible.”

John Tavares doesn’t know Nylander well, but he knows what the winger means to the team.

“I’ve only been around him a little bit, but the other guys love having him around, what type of player and person he is, and the impact he has for this hockey team,” said Tavares. “We hope it gets done sooner rather than later.” HOUSE CALLS: Much has been made of Babcock’s off-season visits to both Matthews (in Arizona) and Frederik Andersen (in Denmark). The coach said Tuesday he kept in touch with most of his team.

“Lots of them were close,” said Babcock. “I tried to reach out to the guys on a fairly regular basis, try to see the people I could see. We’re fortunate we have a lot of local guys, so you get to see those families throughout the year.

“That’s important. You learn a lot more about the player when you get around his family and get around his home.”

MOORE PLAYING TIME: Trevor Moore was ecstatic to practise with the main group Tuesday, a reward for the impression he made on Babcock in camp and the organization as a whole during the Marlies’ Calder Cup run.

“I thought Moore was fantastic,” said Babcock.

“Moore is one of those guys that if he gets out of his own way mentally he’s a real good player. He’s got lots of skill and he’s just got to be confident in his abilities.”

He skated with Tavares and Mitch Marner in place of Zach Hyman (hip pointer).

“It’s always fun to get out there with those guys, John and Mitch, They’re elite players,” said Moore.