The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans have paid close attention to the Olympics, as the NHL season has come to a complete pause. The Maple Leafs have three players in the Olympics, but none have been under the microscope as closely as William Nylander.
While Nylander plays a massive role with Team Sweden, he has been missing practice due to a lingering groin injury suffered in January. The Swedish forward has dealt with injuries throughout the entirety of the season, which has led to the Maple Leafs struggles. Sweden lost to Team Finland 4-1 on Friday, which contributed to Nylander not being at full health. Team Sweden, throughout the Olympics, has not been as good as many expected so far. They narrowly avoided a scare against Team Italy and got flat-out dominated in a game versus Team Finland.
What William Nylander means to the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs need to make a smart decision to pull Nylander out of the tournament. The Leafs are on the outside looking in on the playoff circle and need a very strong finish to qualify for the postseason. The Leafs are going to need Nylander in the lineup to see success. This has been proven over the Leafs' most recent stretch of hockey. When the Leafs started to play better in January, it was because of Nylander's play and how he has the ability to take over games. When Nylander got injured, the Leafs started to go the other way, losing their next six games. Nylander's return sparked a three-game win streak prior to the break. Nylander is forced to log long minutes and be the spark plug for his line. When the Leafs are without Nylander, they falter.
The Maple Leafs need to make a smart decision
The Maple Leafs management staff needs to get the full diagnosis on Nylander from Team Sweden and make a decision before their next game on Saturday to determine his Olympic future. If the Leafs are set on retooling and waving the white flag for the remainder of the season, letting Nylander play would be fine because of the severity of the tournament. If they feel they are still able to contend and make a move in the playoffs, they need to make the smart decision. This decision becomes harder to make if their star forward returns from the Olympics injured or worn down.
As the tournament continues, Leafs fans and management alike will be watching every game closely, hoping their star winger remains healthy. Because if Toronto is going to make any kind of late-season push, they simply cannot afford to lose William Nylander now.