Leafs Star William Nylander Needs Wake-Up Call After Back-to-Back Embarrassing Outings

William Nylander has always been a driving force for the Maple Leafs, and that responsibility only grew this season. With Mitch Marner's departure, Nylander's offense became that much more important, with the Swedish star expected to take on the heaviest workload of his career.

For most of the year, he's delivered exactly that, playing dynamic, high-tempo hockey and filling the void Toronto desperately needed him to fill, producing points at a very high rate.

These last two games, however, have been a break from that standard. The Maple Leafs' losing streak has now stretched to five games, and Nylander hasn't registered a single shot in either of the last two.

It's the first time he's gone back-to-back games without a shot since December of 2019. Only three other current Maple Leafs were even on the roster then: John Tavares, Auston Matthews, and the longest-tenured Leaf, Morgan Rielly.

Plain and simple, the Leafs can't pull themselves out of this slump without Nylander getting back to the level he's been at most of the season. He's been one of the NHL's most productive players with 8 goals and 26 points in 16 games, putting him at an outrageous 129-point pace.

Asking him to "find another gear" ignores how exceptional he's been, but the reality is simple: the Leafs need him shooting the puck for their offense to function. He can't simply go ghost now and expect his team to turn things around.

Nylander not shooting the puck is merely a tiny piece of this messed up puzzle. The roster looks structurally confused, the lines lack rhythm, and the team's overall execution has dipped far beyond one winger's cold stretch.

Even with Nylander producing at an elite clip, the Leafs aren't finding any sustained momentum, and that's a problem. Injuries and inconsistency can't be the story of this season. The entire team is going to have to buckle down and prepare to fight for their season. If not, the team may not even see post-season hockey at all in April.