William Nylander is evolving into a superstar right before our eyes
"I wanted to become a little bit more of a leader on the team. As I've gotten a little bit older, I've learned a few things and maybe thrown [myself] more into that role. I mean, I'm not trying to do anything special. Talk a little bit more and say what I think."
William Nylander has stepped up this season in a big way. The smooth-skating Calgary-born Swede has been an offensive catalyst since joining the Leafs, spending years riding shotgun with Auston Matthews before slotting in beside John Tavares and finding excellent chemistry with JT and Alexander Kerfoot. Nylander has been accused in the past of being disengaged, nonchalant, even careless on the ice, but the truth is he is an invaluable part of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Nylander's offensive numbers have seen an improvement this season. Not only has he increased his goalscoring, but he's doing an even better job setting up his teammates for chances. This is due, at least in part, to a shift in position on the powerplay, leading to more possession time. It seems that while Mitch Marner is the master of creative plays and sneaky passes, Nylander is better suited to finding seams against a structured defensive setup and exploiting them for scoring chances. He's also doing a much better job of driving to the net when the opportunity arises as well.
Nylander decided this season he wanted to be more than just a point producing winger with fantastic hair. He wants to be a leader on this team, be vocal with his teammates and step up defensively as well. His defending and backchecking, especially through the neutral zone, have seen huge improvements this season. He's even being used on the penalty kill now, by his own request.
What makes Nylander's season so impressive is not just that he is producing more, it's that this recent defensive awakening hasn't hampered Nylander's scoring touch.
The 25-year-old is on pace for a career year, with 13 goals and 31 points to his credit in 30 games. Over 82 games that works out to 36 goals and 85 points - fantastic numbers for a player with a cap hit of only $6.9M.
Does Willy Styles deserve an 'A' on his chest? Perhaps not over those currently wearing one, but his willingness to step up is a great sign for both him and the team. He's winning the trust of his coach, and a shrinking segment of fans and armchair GMs who, before last year's playoffs, seemed intent on trading him for whatever veteran defenceman a rival GM would give up.
We can only hope the extended pause due to rising COVID-19 numbers doesn't slow him down, because at this point, it may be the only thing that can.
