NYLANDER NEEDS TO BE IN TOP FORM
IF FLASHY FORWARD WANTS LONG-TERM HOME WI TH LEAFS, PLAYOFFS ARE TIM E TO PROVE HE’S WORTH EVERY PENNY
What is William Nylander’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
A couple of years ago, you would have said he was part of the core. That he was a key to the team’s pursuit of a championship. That he, along with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, represented the Big 3 on offence.
But that was before the Leafs acquired John Tavares in free agency. And that was before Nylander missed a couple of months of the 2018-19 season while holding out for more money and then followed it up with the kind of nightmarish season he’d like to forget. That was also before the NHL announced the salary cap probably wouldn’t be increasing much in the next couple of years and before anyone knew the names of Ilya Mikheyev and Nick Robertson.
Big 3? With Zach Hyman having scored four more goals than him in the past two seasons combined,
Nylander might not even be part of the team’s core.
In other words, this could be a make- or- break playoffs for the 24- year- old. He not only has to produce, but has to show his production can be the difference between winning and losing a series. And he knows it. Despite tying for 15th in the league with a career-best 31 goals this season, Nylander still ranked fourth among Toronto forwards with 59 points in 68 games. The offence was obviously welcomed. But for a team that ranked third in goals scored but sixth- last in goals allowed, it wasn’t exactly necessary.
Until the Leafs can take a step forward and win a playoff round or two, there is always going to be talk of whether having Nylander in the lineup is a better option than trading him for a defenceman — especially with the salary cap forcing GM Kyle Dubas to likely move salary out the door.
“Playoff hockey is a little different. That’s why we need to have a high intensity here in camp to get us all ready for that aspect of the game,” said Nylander, who has combined for only three goals in 20 playoff games the past three playoffs.
“That’s where all the big players show up, and that’s where I think a big part of my game this year will help me become a dominant player in the playoffs.”
At this point, the Leafs will settle for adequate.
While Nylander was skating on a line with Matthews and Hyman for the first two days of training camp, as well as stationed in front of the net on the top power play unit, the Leafs don’t really need him to be Matthews, Tavares or Marner. He doesn’t have to lead the offence. He just needs to supply some form of secondary scoring when it matters.
They can’t have him disappearing on the scoresheet like he did a year ago after Nazem Kadri was suspended against the Boston Bruins. Toronto didn’t lose to Boston because Matthews, Marner and Tavares weren’t as good as Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. The Leafs lost because the Bruins’ third line was better than theirs.
While Nylander had a goal and two assists, Charlie Coyle had three goals and one assist. In a seven- game series where the top two lines took turns blanking each other, it was the third line that ultimately caused the pendulum to swing in Boston’s favour.
Part of the reason he didn’t show up in the playoffs was because Nylander never found his legs after missing the first two months of the season. Also missing was his confidence. Nylander had just seven goals and 27 points in 54 regular season games. Looking back, the year was a disaster.
“Obviously, I wanted to come back and be the player I know I can be, but I wasn’t able to do that,” Nylander said at the end of the 2018-19 season. “I couldn’t keep that consistency up throughout the year.”
This season had been drastically different.
Nylander, who was named the “comeback player of the year” in Postmedia’s yearend awards, showed why the Leafs invested US$ 45 million over six years in him. Of his 31 goals, seven were game- winners. All but nine came in even- strength situations, where he mostly played with Tavares.
The only fear is the pause will cause him to reset like he did a year ago. Then again, it’s not like he’s been idle. While Nylander went to Florida when the season shut down, he spent the time mostly playing tennis with his younger brother, Alex, a forward with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Once it was safe, Nylander was among the first group of players taking part in informal practices in Toronto.
“I feel pretty good out there,” said Nylander, who was one of the last players off the ice after practice on Tuesday. “Phase 2, I think, helped a lot of the guys feel better. I mean, we were only five guys out there for the beginning of Phase 2, so that got a lot of conditioning out there and a lot of skating, so I think we’re feeling pretty good out there.”
The true test will come against the Columbus. Chances are the Blue Jackets will try to keep the Big 3 of Matthews, Marner and Tavares off the scoresheet.
If that happens, Nylander will be counted on to bring offence. And if he succeeds, then you can count on him being part of the team’s core for many years to come.