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Toronto Maple Leafs: Matthews and Nylander Will be League’s Best Duo

ByJames Tanner|
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 6: William Nylander #29 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on December 6, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 6: William Nylander #29 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on December 6, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock finally reunited Auston Matthews and William Nylander this week.

The duo have been tearing it up for the Toronto Maple Leafs ever since Auston Matthews came into the NHL, but had not gotten much time together this year due to Nylander’s holdout and subsequent struggles.

Leafs fans have been calling for this for months, and on Wednesday night against Tampa Bay, it finally happened.

Unfortunately the Leafs then got bombed, but that is just a coincidence. The combination is magical and it’s been great to see them back together.

It sucks that it took an injury to Kasperi Kapanen to make it happen, but at least something positive has come out of that.

Why They Work

The reason that Matthews and Nylander work together is that Nyander is the best player on the Leafs (and arguably in the NHL) at carrying the puck through the neutral zone.  By carrying the puck so effectively, Nyander creates a ton of space for Matthews.

And, he’s got the elite vision to get him the puck.

Since being reunited, Matthews has four goals, five points and 15 shots in three games.

Nylander has four assists and nine shots.   They have over 50 scoring chances together in the last three games and have been utterly dominant.  (Naturalstattrick.com)

They’d likely have even crazier stats if it wasn’t suddenly OK for goalies the Leafs play to intentionally knock the post off the net.

With Andreas Johnsson, the full line is one of the most talented lines in the NHL, and could, potentially, be the best line in the league.  It’s amazing to watch.

Last night, in a game the Leafs completely dominated, Nyander was the best player on the ice.  The one assists he got where he gave an effort comparable to a fourth line grinder and then got the puck out in front of Matthews should be considered one of the plays of the year.

If we through out Nylander’s first month of the season (he struggled after sitting out) he has scored 2.32 points per 60 minutes, while Mitch Marner has scored 2.36 points per 60.

In the 43 total games he has played this season, Nylander leads all Leafs forwards in puck-possession, posting an incredible 55%.

So, just to be clear: Nylander leads one of the league’s best teams in puck possession, he scores at the same rate as Mitch Marner does at 5v5, and, when paired with the NHL’s best goal scorer, he produces at a rate that essentially makes them the best duo in the NHL.

And just to be doubly clear: his contract is a team-friendly steal, and he will not be traded this summer.  He will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs for the entire duration of his contract.

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