Leafs don’t know how good they have it with William Nylander

Oct 20, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (29) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (29) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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As 21-year old William Nylander showcased his skills and talent in the IIHF, it will definitely have a lot to say for his upcoming season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

William Nylander was a major highlight for Sweden in the IIHF World Championship, as he helped his team win the gold. He was named MVP of the IIHF, even though he didn’t accumulate the most points, because he was lauded for helping Sweden to its first championship in four years. This is something that not only Sweden should be proud of, but also the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Don’t Forget Nylander

While everyone has gone head over heels for Auston Matthews, it is evident that many have overlooked and forgotten about Nylander and what he can bring for the Leafs. His achievement with Sweden is inevitably “one final gold star for the Toronto Maple Leafs season”, according to Yahoo Sports.

One of the highlights of the tournament that got him noticed was the game between Sweden and Switzerland. Yahoo Sports also mentioned how Nylander:

"“…broke a second-period deadlock when he burned a Swiss defender and slipped the puck through the legs of Leonardo Genoni, while being hauled down on a breakaway.”"

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It represented Nylander’s puck handling, athleticism, and skating. This should be a proud moment for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization as they don’t know how lucky they have it.

They have a star on their hands who will only continue to rise, shine and excel. He had a spectacular season with the Leafs, posting 61 points in 81 games. In addition, he was one of the four players to score more than 20 goals for the team.

Leafs Are The Real Deal

Nylander is one of the many players that has brought the Leafs success this past season. Furthermore, it has kept critical and negative individuals quiet.

https://twitter.com/Mollymayhem84/status/863175332605685766

People’s blind hatred for the Leafs is comical. People always tend to focus on the negative. The organization knows they have struggled in the past, but the future is far too bright to keep looking in the rear view mirror.

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The Leafs are definitely not the only team to have struggled. For a team to carry themselves into the playoffs with rookies, that is a great achievement.

It only goes up from here and fans have Nylander to thank for that. He is just the type of player that was born to play hockey. His dedication, agility, tenacity, and speed will get him very far.