The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Keep William Nylander

The Toronto Maple Leafs  season once again ended with disappointment.

Fans, analysts, and social media continue debating what they should do this offseason. One player’s name is coming up more often than not as a potential trade piece for the Toronto Maple Leafs, that being William Nylander.

However, I believe Nylander is an extremely valuable part of this Leafs team and he should stick around for next season.

It would be silly for the Leafs to get rid of him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Keep Nylander

Nylander Can Skate

William Nylander is easily one of, if not the best skating forward on this Leafs team. In their second-round series vs the Florida Panthers, the Leafs were outskated numerous times and it cost them. The Panthers were the faster team for most of the series, with guys like Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaege scoring goals off the rush, using speed to their advantage.

Some Leafs players, most notably John Tavares and Ryan O’Reilly, received backlash for their lack of foot speed compared to the Panthers. Nylander did not have that problem. This is best shown in his game 5 goal and his terrific backcheck in game 4 of the second round.

If a lack of speed was one of the main reasons why the Leafs lost in round 2, they can’t afford to lose a terrific skater like Nylander.

He Produces In The Playoffs

One big problem for the Leafs has been their lack of playoff production from their star players, but William Nylander has been an exception. In their series vs the Panthers, Nylander was the only Leaf player to score more than one goal in the entire series. Also, since 2021, Nylander has had the most playoff goals and the second most playoff points on the Leafs.

He Has Improved His Production Almost Every Year

Over the last 3 seasons, Nylander’s points-per-game has improved every time (0.82, 0.98, 1.06). His goals-per-game has improved as well (0.33, 0.41, 0.48), including his first 40-goal season this year. (stats: nhl.com)

There’s no reason to believe he can’t improve again next season, especially in a contract year, where he is certain to earn a raise to his current $6.9 million AAV.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe William Nylander is too big of an asset to lose. If the Leafs do decide to trade him, it is unlikely they win that deal. Nylander has turned into a superstar offensive player, and those aren’t easy to come by.

A long off-season awaits the Toronto Maple Leafs, and big decisions will need to be made.

We’ll see if Kyle Dubas decides to move on from “Willy Styles” this offseason, or if he gives Nylander and the rest of the “core-four” another chance.