Interesting Trend for Maple Leafs Star Could Lead to Career Year After Departure of Mitch Marner

One man's loss is another man's treasure is an apt expression for Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who based on his recent track record, should be in line for a very productive 2025-26 season with the departure of Mitch Marner.

For Nylander and Auston Matthews, they are going to have to be the horses at the front of the carriage, trying to lead the team offensively. With Marner's 102 points to replace, Nylander should be a beneficiary in large part because of his recent trend over the last 4 seasons.

Dating back to 2021-22, Nylander has seen a bump in total goals from 34 in 2021-22 to 40 goals in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, to a career-high 45 goals this past season. Outside of 2024-25, Nylander had also seen a bump in points from 80 to 87 to 98 points between 2021-2024.

Interestingly enough, Nylander finished the season with his best shooting percentage to date at 17.8%, but he only fired 253 shots on goal, which was his lowest total within the last 4 seasons.

With a more pressing need for offense from their top players, more opportunities and shots on goal could be another indication as to why a 50-goal campaign should be a realistic target for the 29-year-old winger.

Additionally, Marner also impacted the game in all situations as he proved to be one of the better penalty killing forwards in the league. He averaged 21 minutes a night for the third straight season, leaving more ice-time and opportunities on the table for Nylander to scoop up.

Not known for his penalty killing prowess, Nylander did see 82.1 minutes while shorthanded in 2023-24, scoring 3 goals and adding an assist. He could very much fill that role once again, but with players like Nicolas Roy in the fold, they might not need to lean so heavily on their Swedish star.

Nevertheless, Nylander should be in line for his first 50-goal and 100-point season just based on his recent track record alone. The fact that he may be granted additional ice time and puck touches in Marner's absence makes it even more likely.