Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander continues to divide Leafs Nation
By Brad Vos
The argument for William Nylander on the Toronto Maple Leafs
Let’s start with the oozing talent the Swede possesses. At times, Nylander looks like the most skilled player on the ice. His blend of speed and soft hands is sublime on the offensive end.
At just 24 years of age, there is plenty of room for improvement in his overall game. Willie has produced at the NHL level, recording 221 points in 307 career regular-season games. This is good for 0.72 points per game. He also came through in the clutch with seven game-winning goals during in 2019-20 season.
Advanced statistics paint the picture of an excellent possession player and team contributor. Nylander was third on the Leafs last season in Point Shares (a metric estimating the number of points in the standings a player contributes to). He trailed only Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen on the team.
His Corsi For and Fenwick For Percentage at even strength, two metrics explaining team puck possession with the player on the ice, were outstanding. He led all regular contributors in CF% and third on the team in FF%.
So given what he contributes, there is certainly a case to be made that he is a valuable part of the lineup.