Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander proving doubters wrong
William Nylander continues to show that he is over his struggles from last season and the Toronto Maple Leafs are better for it.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had their fair share of players who have divided the fanbase and made the whipping boy like William Nylander.
He was an easy target after his prolonged contract negotiations that delayed the start to the season and when he did get back on the ice, you could tell that he wasn’t himself. Because of his struggles, there was a highly vocal majority of people who couldn’t wait to share their opinions of Nylander.
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Scoring a goal against the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night, it is getting tougher to be as critical about Nylander’s performance this season although some will find a way to disagree.
After scoring just seven goals in 54 games last season, the 23-year-old already has 10 and unless he gets injured (knock on wood) he should be well on his way of surpassing the 27 points he had in shortened 54 games season.
While he wasn’t dominating at the start of the season, he’s certainly found his game and there’s no reason why he can’t continue to get better. He continues to thrive as the best puck mover on the team and is showing more desire to drive to the front of the net.
People will continue to criticize his defensive game which is fine because that’s not what makes him the player that he is. Could he stand to show more or of a desire to backcheck, yes, but if you are expecting him to become the next Mark Stone, you are wasting your time and there shouldn’t be a problem with that.
As long as he puts up points and isn’t as much of a liability defensively, just be glad that Nylander has regained his confidence. Also, imagine if Dubas listened to people who said that he should have traded and get pennies on the dollar in return.
Next. Leafs should try to trade for Casey DeSmith. dark
What do you think about Nylander’s season so far? Can he continue to sustain his current pace? Let us know in the comments below.