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Toronto Maple Leafs Mid-Season Review: Best and Worst Storylines at the All-Star Break

By Eric Cruikshank

Toronto Maple Leafs - William Nylander #88 and Rasmus Sandin #38 (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
Toronto Maple Leafs - William Nylander #88 and Rasmus Sandin #38 (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 30: William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates after scoring against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period at the Scotiabank Arena on November 30, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /

William Nylander’s Resurgence

Recently named the Comeback Player of the Year by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, William Nylander is finally playing the style of hockey he was bound to succeed at.

While already being one of the most polarizing players on this roster (for no reason) Nylander had an extra amount of pressure coming into this season after contract negotiations had him out of the lineup for majority of last year, causing him to underperform on a team that was already in midseason form.

The Toronto Maple  Leafs style of play this season under Sheldon Keefe values puck possession, which is something Nylander excels at.

Nylander has been able to contribute immensely on zone entries as well as maintaining possession in the offensive zone at even strength.

On top of this, the narrative of him needing to be ‘grittier’ or ‘get to the dirty areas’ have completely evaporated due to the amount of offense he has provided, and the location of his goals, which can conveniently be seen here in a goal chart courtesy of IcyData:

William Nylander’s production this season has started a new conversation surrounding the value of his contract. At this time one year ago, many fans thought that the best decision would be to trade Nylander, but it seems that he has taken full advantage of the recent coaching change and is one of the many players who is thriving under this new opportunity and environment.

Nylander’s contract has the potential to be looked back as a very good value deal for the Leafs. While his performance before re-signing may not have warranted the amount of money he is currently being paid, he is surely earning every penny right now.

dark. Next. Toronto Maple Leafs Player Grades at the All-Star Break

The Toronto Maple Leafs have 33 games left to put themselves in a position for a postseason appearance, and while there may be some managerial decisions that may need to be made with the extended absences of some of their top players, the core group of this roster is more than capable of getting it done.

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