Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander Is the Silent Killer
The Toronto Maple Leafs still have a silent killer in the lineup.
There was never as much hype for William Nylander when the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted him in 2014 as there was for Mitchell Marner (2015) and Auston Matthews (2016).
Maybe there was for you, but I wasn’t nearly as excited for him and I only wish I could go back in time and slap myself in the face for not recognizing just how good he was (and is).
Okay, maybe that’s a bit much although I’m sure some of you wouldn’t mind doing that, it’s alright, I’ll forgive you.
You may be asking yourself what I mean by, silent killer, and that’s acceptable because it’s a weird word choice, I get that.
What I mean by the silent killer is that I still believe teams underestimate Nylander, whereas the secrets out of the bag in regards to Marner and Matthews, everyone knows what they’re capable of.
We’ve seen Marner struggle mightily with that and as for Matthews, he’s doing just fine with the extra attention from the opposition, probably even excelling with it.
Forgive me if you disagree, but I just don’t think teams are properly prepared for what Nylander brings to the table, his speed, his skill, his IQ and the like, it’s uncanny.
He’s the Leafs silent killer and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
The Silent Killer
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It’s the little things he does with the puck that buys him extra time and space, every so often, they go completely unnoticed until someone tweets out a GIF of his magical puck wizardry.
Those are some of the qualities that make him an elite offensive threat, one of the best wingers in the League and I’m not entirely sold on whether or not he should ever be transitioned over to center ice permanently.
He’s the perfect wingman.
Try counting how many times in a game he carries the puck over the oppositions blueline while maintaining possession after entry, I guarantee that you’ll lose count.
Not only can he dipsy doodle with the puck around just about anyone, his shot is severely underrated (pinpoint accuracy) and his passing is just about as crisp as Patrick Kane’s.
Few NHL players make the saucer pass look easy, Nylander’s one of them.
Look, going more unnoticed isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it’s hard not to when Matthews is on the team, but just the fact that Nylander can do his own thing and quietly be effective in most situations on the ice is spectacular.
The Leafs silent killer has already produced three goals and nine points through 10 games played this season (one PPG, three PPP, and one GWG).
Nylander’s the Leafs hidden gem.