Leafs get a day off on Sunday, but William Nylander chose to get back to work
PUBLICATION
Cole Hayes
January 30, 2022 (6:06 PM)
The Leafs had a well-deserved day off on Sunday ahead of their back-to-back games against the New Jersey Devils. I say well-deserved because their sensational 7-4 comeback win against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, thanks to a Michael Bunting hat trick.
Despite the Leafs being given the day off, forward
William Nylander was out on the ice by himself working on his shooting and puck handling, which goes a long way to disprove the longstanding myth that Nylander "doesn't care".
Nylander has a history of practicing on off days. This much was confirmed by the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan on Sunday. The young Swede is an absolute workhorse, despite the rumours circulating to the contrary.
If we're finally recognizing the work ethic of Nylander, it's no wonder why he has been on another level this season as his strong play carried over from last year's playoffs. He has spent time on the wing with both
Auston Matthews and
John Tavares, but has recently been moved to a line with
Alexander Kerfoot and
David Kampf, and he's seemed to welcome every challenge that head coach Sheldon Keefe has put before him.
Nylander has always been a strong possession player, so he hasn't gained the ability to drive his own line recently.. that ability has always been there and he has been constantly improving year over year. He's putting in the work, whether it be gameday, practice, or an off day. He's been silencing the critics with his strongplay and if you're a Leafs fan, you absolutely love to see it.
Nylander is currently on pace to finish the season with a point per game and if he can maintain that pace, it would be the first time in his career that he's reached that mark.
Simply put, the 2nd generation NHLer has been a revalation this season. Hopefully he can pick up right where he left off in the postseason, where the games really begin to matter.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
|
3 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry William Nylander Reaffirms What His Primary Goal is Heading into the 2025-26 Season |
|
7 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry Maple Leafs Defenseman Admits to Being Misidentified as Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher |
|
10 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry Toronto Native May Now Finally Be Available and He's a Natural Fit for the Maple Leafs |
|
13 hours ago | By Ryan Smitheram 'It's Never His Fault': Analyst Cooks Mitch Marner For Blaming Fans For His Departure from Maple Leafs |
|
14 hours ago | By Ryan Smitheram Mitch Marner Reveals Which Leafs Teammate Was the Toughest to Inform of His Decision to Leave |
|
15 hours ago | By TJ Tucker Ex-Maple Leafs Draft Pick and Marlies Defenceman Slapped With Contract Termination |
|
17 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry New Video Shows Mitch Marner Visibly Shaken by Behaviour of Maple Leafs Fans |
|
Aug 28 | By Lukas Peters Leafs Miss Out as Former Brad Treliving Draft Pick Signs PTO With Eastern Conference Rival |