If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to shake up the core-four, William Nylander should be traded.
Over the past seven seasons, William Nylander’s point-totals for the Toronto Maple Leafs have actually been very impressive.
The 8th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has lived up to all expectations and is a clear top-six player on any roster. Top 10 draft-pick’s are never guaranteed to turn into legit NHL stars, so the Leafs hit the jackpot by drafting him at that position.
Nylander’s skill has never been questioned, but instead, people have been concerned about his effort. Everyone loves scoring goals, but do you have what it takes in the biggest moment of a playoff game to go into the corners, steal the puck away from an opponent and help your team to victory?
Personally, I don’t think he does.
There are some incredibly skilled players who just don’t care in the playoffs. Alexei Kovalev was that player for decades and although he did win a Stanley Cup championship, it happened early in his career on a team that wasn’t his team to lead.
Everyone in the league knew how skilled Kovalev was and that’s why his career lasted so long, but he was never a player who would fight and claw to win in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Nylander is at that same pedigree as Kovalev and it’s time to trade him before he costs this team once again in the playoffs. However, if you’re going to trade a player who scored 34 goals and had 80 points this year, you better get something big in return for him.
As such, here are three blockbuster trades involving Nylander.