The Toronto Maple Leafs are due for a shake-up much in the same style as the New York Rangers. The difference between the Rangers and Maple Leafs, however, is that the Rangers are going through their second-straight sour season.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, were coming off a division win, disappointing playoff elimination notwithstanding. But the two clubs are in the same line. They have veteran cores that need a seismic shift.
That said, the toughest thing to figure out is where to begin. For the Rangers, the easiest place to start was by trading impending UFA Artemi Panarin. Trading him is a straightforward move that makes sense. Panarin will be a free agent this summer, and the Rangers, for their part, don’t want to commit substantial cap space to a veteran player.
The Maple Leafs don’t have that natural move. They did last season with Mitch Marner. But this season, there isn’t a natural move on the horizon, one that could be a watershed moment like Marner.
But there’s one situation that has given the Maple Leafs a natural out.
Nylander’s unsightly gesture gives Maple Leafs a perfect excuse
During the tv broadcast of Sunday’s game against the Avalanche, the cameras turned to capture the injured Maple Leafs’ players in the press box. Lo and behold, the cameras captured William Nylander flipping the bird.
Now, I’m not a prude. I don’t take goofy gestures personally. But this isn’t a bunch of guys having beers at a pub flipping each other off. If Nylander had been caught doing something like this at the gym or goofing around with teammates, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.
But he was caught doing so while he was sitting comfortably in the press box, while his teammates were getting hammered in the trenches. Imagine a soldier sitting back in his chair flipping people off while his fellows are getting shelled on the battlefield.
Well, that’s kind of like what Nylander did on Sunday. He made light of his teammates’ struggles on the ice while he did nothing to avoid them. That’s the lackadaisical attitude that cannot stand anymore.
If there’s one player who has checked out, it’s William Nylander. Even if he was messing around, which wasn’t happening given the faces on the other players around him, there’s no justifying his attitude.
Contrition does little to smooth over the situation
Let’s assume for a minute that it was a gesture taken out of context. I don't know, he was scratching his nose or adjusting his glasses, and it seemed unsightly at first sight. Heck, I wouldn’t have cared if he got caught picking his nose.
But it was Nylander’s contrition that drove the dagger home. If he had truly been contrite about it, he would have shown a somber, regretful tone. During Monday’s press availability, Nylander said his bit while practically laughing through it.
It’s clear that Nylander has checked out. Whether it’s a psychological defense mechanism to cope with stress, or a clear lack of determination, Nylander shouldn’t play anymore this season.
The Maple Leafs have a highly valuable trade chip, one that could return significant pieces to help Auston Matthews and John Tavares weather the storm.
Sure, Craig Berube didn’t toss Nylander under the bus. But then again, Berube wasn’t going to toss gasoline on the fire. If the club lets this slide, don’t be surprised if the Maple Leafs stare at handing the Boston Bruins a top-ten draft pick this summer.