William Nylander
William Nylander recorded 34 goals and 46 assists for 80 points in 81 games.
He reached new career highs in goals, assists, and points last season. While averaging 18:16 of ice time, Nylander was an offensive threat every time he was on the ice.
54% Puck Possession, 52% of the shots, 56% Expected Goals, 56% of the scoring chances.
Full stop, Nylander is an elite player. There aren’t too many second liners as good as he is, and the crazy thing is that he might still get even better. The Leafs got horrid goaltending whenever their second line was on the ice last year, and a correction to the norm will really help the perception of this line’s performance.
Nylander did have a successful 2022 playoffs with three goals and four assists for seven points in seven games. He’s always been one of the Leafs better playoff performers, which, along with the fact that he once led the NHL in net-front goals for an entire season, suggest his reputation for being a soft player is unwarranted.
Nylander will occasionally look like he isn’t giving a full effort, but the thing is, if he is this good without trying, what could he do if he cared? Perhaps Nylander is just one of those guys whose performance is so smooth that it looks effortless? With numbers that completely contradict his reputation, this seems like the most likely answer.