William Nylander has reached a whole new level in his game; the proof is in the numbers
William Nylander had a goal and two assists in yesterday's win over the Flyers in what was his second straight multi-point game. His goal was his 20th on the season already, which puts him on a pace to demolish his 34-goal career high, which he set last year. Along with his 20 goals already, Nylander has 39 points, tied for second among Leafs with Auston Matthews and just a point behind Mitch Marner. Again, on pace to surpass his career high 80 points which he also set last season.
While Marner and Matthews get the bulk of the spotlight in Toronto, Nylander just goes about his business quietly. He's always been a highly-skilled player, but one thing that he has improved on tremendously to start the year is his engagement in physical play and backchecking. By physical play, I don't mean throwing hits, but rather his willingness to engage in board battles and protect and retrieve the puck. It's something that Leaf fans complained about for years with Nylander, but he has finally added it to his game.
Not only is Nylander leading the Leafs in goals and is tied second in points, but he is also third in assists (19), second in even strength points (25), second in expected goals for per 60 (3.5) and first in even strength goals (14). Since being elevated to play with Matthews, the play of Nylander has taken some of the pressure off of Matthews, who no longer has to worry about scoring most of the team's goals, which has allowed him to contribute in other ways.
Everyone is talking about Matthews' extension that he is eligible to sign come July 1, 2023, but no one is talking about the fact that Nylander is also eligible to sign one at the same time. If he continues to play this way and continue to set career highs, his next contract will be around the $10M mark per season, give or take a couple hundred thousand on either side, though we all hope it doesn't start with a 10. It's not that Willy has not shown himself to be a $10M winger - it's more about the Leafs already having 3 forwards with 8-digit cap hits.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 23 | 157 ANSWERS William Nylander has reached a whole new level in his game; the proof is in the numbers Would you be okay with the Leafs and Nylander agreeing to terms on a new long-term deal with a cap hit at ~$10M? | ||
| Yes, he's worth it | 68 | 43.3 % |
| No, he's not worth it | 27 | 17.2 % |
| No - he's worth it, but we can't afford it | 62 | 39.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
