NYLANDER LEAVES LEAFS, FANS WANTING FOR MORE
Critics wonder why talented young winger isn't among the NHL's top offensive threats
All these years later, the coach is still screaming the kid's name.
“Nylander! Nylander! Nylander!”
Dan Houck used to scream that all the time during practices, back when he was coaching a 10-year-old who had all the skill in the world, but didn't always display the matching work ethic. Today, he's still screaming the name. Only he screams it at a team of tyke-aged kids whenever they're attempting a stickhandling and skating drill that William Nylander and his father invented — and which Houck has since made a staple in all his practices.
It's called The Nylander. And it involves stickhandling a puck around the faceoff circle — albeit with a few challenging wrinkles.
First, you can only perform crossovers. Second, you have to keep the puck a stick length away from your body. And third, you have to try to generate as much speed as possible.
It's a synchronized skill set that's not unlike trying to juggle while walking backwards up a flight of stairs.
“He and his dad would spend 30 or 40 minutes doing it every day,” said Houck, who coached Michael Nylander for a couple of years while was playing for the Washington Capitals.
“I remember the first time I saw it, I couldn't believe what they were doing. I'd never seen anyone handle the puck like that while laterally moving up the ice.
“Now, all my teams do that drill. I scream `Nylander' to them all the time as a way of reminding them to keep crossing over their feet like he does.”
That skill, the one that Nylander has been practising and perfecting for the past two decades, was on full display in a 2-1 overtime win against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday that saw Nylander score both of Toronto's goals.
On the first goal, Nylander showed a rare sense of determination while battling for a loose puck at the foot of the crease until he finally shovelled it into the back of the net to send the game into overtime. On the second, he performed The Nylander.
Taking a drop pass from Auston Matthews at the offensive blue-line, Nylander had two Calgary players to his right as he sped wide past a helpless Sean Monahan, before cutting back to the front of the net and flipping a shot over the shoulder of goalie David Rittich.
At first glance, it was the kind of goal that you might blame on Calgary's immobile defenders, who acted like spectators on the play. But according to Houck, Nylander deserves credit for all the misinformation he was giving out.
“It's all about his eyes, his toe caps and his blade angle,” said Houck, while re-watching the overtime goal a day later on YouTube.
“What Calgary's defenders are probably thinking is, `Oh, look at his eyes and look at where the puck is, he's going to feed a lateral pass to Matthews.' But then he goes from forehand to backhand and keeps skating towards the net, and Monahan isn't able to recover.
“What's amazing is how you see a kid slow the game down but still make it look fast. His speed and edge work makes it look completely effortless.”
Effortless is as good a way as any to not only describe Nylander's game, but also why he has been so polarizing with fans. You watch him toy with defenders and bury the puck just underneath the crossbar, and you ask yourself, “Why isn't this guy among the scoring leaders? Why isn't he as good as Matthews and Mitch Marner have been? Why doesn't he do this more?”
A week ago, Nylander found himself being mocked on the front page of the Toronto Sun during a mini-slump where he had no goals and no assists in six games and his ice time had been cut back. Since then, he has three goals and four points in four games for the best team in Canada.
It's a pattern that's been there for the past six years in Toronto.
And yet, Nylander has scored more goals (seven) than Alex Ovechkin and has more points (16) than Sidney Crosby so far this season. After 21 games, he's among the top 40 in league scoring.
So why isn't he up there with Matthews and Marner as one of the best in the league?
Is it because his game is incomplete? Or is it because as good as he's been, he still leaves fans and media wanting even more?
“I can understand how it could be frustrating,” said Houck. “With what's there, he could be a 50-goal scorer every year.”
At times, Houck shared in that frustration. A self-described “hard-nosed coach,” Houck also wanted more from Nylander. He implored him to be more physical and better conditioned. He tried to make him a better player defensively, to the point where Houck once brought a bucket of tennis balls to the rink and started shooting them in Nylander's direction. If any got by him, Houck fired a puck his way.
Eventually, Houck gave up and learned to live with what Nylander brought — and learned to live with what was sometimes missing. It's something that Leafs fans may also have to accept.
“A really good coach understands that you don't need your best guys to be the best all the time,” he said. “You need them to be the best at the right time. I picked my battles with the kid, because I knew when the game was on the line, he was going to be a factor.”
I can understand how it could be frustrating. With what's there, he could be a 50-goal scorer every year.