William Nylander had received a $5,000 fine for giving the middle finger during the Toronto Maple Leafs broadcast on Sunday.
The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Nylander on Monday the maximum allowed under the CBA. Nylander has apologized for this incident twice, once via social media following the Maple Leafs Sunday afternoon loss, as well as with the media on Monday. Nylander claimed this incident was due to his frustrations. During the incident, Nylander was alongside Calle Jarnkrok, Chris Tanev, Dakota Joshua, and Philippe Myers in the press box.
Leafs players in the press box realized they were on the tv broadcast and William Nylander flipped the bird? 😠pic.twitter.com/be70R2GuX0
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 25, 2026
Leafs' Nylander said he flipped off camera because he's frustrated to be not playing
When meeting with the media on Monday, Nylander immediately apologized for the incident.
"I just want to apologize for my actions yesterday," the Leafs star winger said. "It was out of frustration, so I'm sorry about that. ... I just want to be out there with the guys. Just frustrated."
William Nylander has been out of the lineup with a groin injury and has not played since January 15. The Maple Leafs began struggling once Nylander was re-injured. Over this past stretch with Nylander, the Maple Leafs have a record of 1-3-1, falling five points out of the final wild card spot. Before Nylander's injury, the Maple Leafs were rolling, looking like one of the top teams in the NHL, showing signs of the team that won the Atlantic Division just one season ago.
The driving force of the Maple Leafs offence
Nylander has been the driving force of the Maple Leafs' lineup all season long. Nylander leads the Maple Leafs in scoring with 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points in 37 games. Nylander has missed time on three different occasions this season. The Maple Leafs tend to do well when Nylander is playing well. Over their previous stretch of good hockey, Nylander was taking over games and single-handedly winning games for the Maple Leafs and being the most dominant force in many of those efforts.
Nylander was right to receive the fine, he did, but the Maple Leafs should not overthink this. It shows he is a player who cares about the team's recent struggles and is dealing with the fact that he isn't battling night in and night out. The Maple Leafs are hoping for a quick recovery as they have desperately needed him as of late.