Maple Leafs Star William Nylander Still Haunted By Elimination in 2024-25 Playoffs
Photo credit: Sam Navarro Imagn Images
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander spoke to reporters on Friday, admitting to shortcomings against the Florida Panthers and is clearly still haunted by the way it all went down against the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
It was another disappointing end to a successful regular season for the Maple Leafs in 2024-25, as they put together one of their worst performances of the year in Game 7 against the Florida Panthers.
The series loss led to Leafs Nation and many in the Toronto media once again calling for significant changes to the Leafs' roster. They got their wish when Mitch Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of free agency -- something that Nylander touched on when speaking with reporters in Milan.
William Nylander Discusses The Leafs' Downfall Against the Panthers
In addition to touching on Marner's departure, Nylander also shared his thoughts on the Leafs' Atlantic Division title and post-season failures.
"It was probably one of our best seasons since I've been in Toronto. I mean, we pushed Florida to the limit. We had a couple of (bad) games against them, Games 5 and 7, but for the most part, we were right there in that series. So I think we can really build off that and learn from what we did wrong to be better in those situations."
There is no doubt that it was one of the Leafs' best seasons during Nylander's time in Toronto, considering it was the first time the Leafs won the Atlantic division.
Unfortunately, as it usually goes, they fell apart in the playoffs again, playing two of their worst games of the entire season in Games 5 and 7 as the three-time 40-goalscorer noted.
Without Marner, the Leafs will have to plenty to sort out in training camp and the early part of the season as they try to find new line combinations and fits for the likes of Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua and others.
The hope from Leafs Nation is that after finally making a significant change and moving out a core member of the team, they can establish a new identity and usher in a new era of Leafs hockey.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 23 | 1472 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Star William Nylander Still Haunted By Elimination in 2024-25 Playoffs Where do you think the Leafs will finish this season? | ||
| Atlantic Division Champs | 393 | 26.7 % |
| Second or Third | 823 | 55.9 % |
| Wild Card spot | 180 | 12.2 % |
| Miss playoffs | 76 | 5.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
