William Nylander can join some ELITE company with a point in today's game in Chicago
If you take Auston Matthews' back-to-back hat tricks to open the season out of the equation, Maple Leafs winger William Nylander has been the the runaway best player for Toronto since the season began and it hasn't been particularly close. You would've been hard pressed to find a Leafs fan who would have predicted this outcome either, which has made it all the more special.
The Swedish star's season-opening point streak currently sits at 17 games and could hit 18 games this afternoon when Toronto faces the Chicago Blackhawks.
If Nylander can get on the scoresheet today he will become the sixth different player to hit this historic milestone, joining Wayne Gretzky (3x), Mats Sundin, Danny Heatley, Bill Cowley, and Marcel Dionne.
The 27-year-old has already set the Maple Leafs franchise record for a season-opening point streak. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is the only other active player who has had a 17-game point streak, completing this during the 2021-22 season.
Nylander leads Toronto in scoring with 12 goals and 27 points this season and is currently set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he can continue on his torrid 130-point pace, you can bet that his next contract will be a big, BIG number.
Nylander took over the NHL Global Series last week in Sweden, scoring two goals and five points in Toronto's two wins in Stockholm. After nearly a week off, the Leafs are in Chicago today for a 2:00pm ET matinee against the Blackhawks.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 24 | 226 ANSWERS William Nylander can join some ELITE company with a point in today's game in Chicago If you could only sign one long-term, who would you rather have? | ||
| Mitch Marner | 74 | 32.7 % |
| William Nylander | 152 | 67.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
