After years of sharing the spotlight with the Toronto Maple Leafs, William Nylander and Mitch Marner are no longer teammates, and now the debate begins in earnest.
With the Maple Leafs choosing to retain one star winger while parting ways with the other, the question of whether the franchise made the right decision looms large.
NHL.com recently unveiled a list of its top-twenty wingers, and Nylander and Marner were both listed among the top-ten. Both players have carved out impressive NHL careers. As they enter the second half of their primes on different teams, their career trajectories and legacies will be watched more closely than ever.
Marner was ranked fifth by NHL.com, followed by Nylander at sixth. Mikko Rantanen, Kirill Kaprizov, David Pastrnak, and Nikita Kucherov were the only players ahead of the former Leafs' teammates. The debate over the Maple Leafs having Nylander instead of Marner will be hotly contested for years to come.
A Nylander vs. Marner statistical comparison
Traditional stats substantiate the strengths of each player. Nylander, an elite goal-scorer, has 612 career points, of which 262 are goals. Marner, the playmaker, has 741 career points, including 520 assists. Both are among the Maple Leafs' all-time top-ten points list.
Nylander and Marner both achieved milestones during the 2024-2025 season. Nylander was second in the NHL in goals with a personal-best 45. It was his third consecutive season with forty or more goals. Marner reached the hundred-point plateau for the first time in nine NHL seasons.
Each player has alternated being the Leafs' second-best player behind superstar Auston Matthews in recent years. Last year, Marner was the team's MVP, especially early in the regular season while Matthews nursed an injury.
During the 2023-2024 season, Nylander reached a career-high ninety-eight points, and carried the Maple Leafs early on before Matthews took off and set a new franchise single-season goals record.
Over their time with the Leafs, Marner has logged over twenty minutes of ice time per game and has been the better two-way player, but, as NHL.com's rankings suggest, there's little to choose between them.
Marner has the edge in two-way play, but Nylander is a better one-on-one player with elite skating edges, puck control, and game-breaking ability. While Nylander is not strong defensively, he has fewer enigmatic, frustrating, careless plays that were common when he was a younger player.
The most difficult skill in hockey is putting the puck in the net. Nylander is among the NHL's best goal scorers, and a fifty-goal season, or two, in his future, is well within reach.
Why Nylander was always a better fit for Leafs
Despite being a hometown player, Marner's relationship with the Maple Leafs soured during the last twelve to eighteen months in Toronto. A big part of that was the perception that Marner was the main culprit of the Leafs' postseason failures.
Marner registered sixty-three points in seventy playoff games during his time with the Maple Leafs. Nylander scored fifty-eight points in sixty-seven games. The points-per-game, 0.90 for Marner, 0.87 for Nylander, are similar, but Nylander's points-per-game is on par with his regular-season production. Marner's is a significant drop from his regular-season average of 1.13. Also, Nylander has twice as many postseason goals (26-13) as Marner.
Most revealing is that Marner did not score a goal in seven career Game 7s with the Leafs, netting just two assists, with a plus/minus of -7. Nylander, while not spectacular, has two goals and two assists with a plus/minus of -4.
Marner's playoff numbers are even worse when Games 5, 6, and 7 are included. His points-per-game plummets even further.
Marner's lack of postseason production, the Maple Leafs' need to change their long-time core, and last season's trade deadline request to waive his no-movement clause were all factors in the team-player relationship deteriorating, leading to the sign-and-trade with Vegas and his exit.
The last, and most critical point, for choosing Nylander over Marner is their temperament, disposition, and makeup. Early in their careers, Marner and Matthews seemed destined to be lifelong Leafs, and Nylander might be jettisoned, but that has changed.
Marner's relationship with the team's fans worsened over his time with the Maple Leafs. He was often distant, gave clichéd answers, and seemed irritated during his media obligations. Despite the hometown connection, the pressure became a burden for Marner.
Nylander has improved his perception with the team's fan base. He is, by far, the more comfortable of the two in the Toronto spotlight. He playfully engages with the media. His laissez-faire, laid-back attitude enables him to better handle the highs and lows in a hockey-mad market like Toronto, as pointed out by NHL analyst Mike Johnson.
"He has that attitude and energy that he doesn't care. He's not bothered by the very loud noise that surrounds the Toronto Maple Leafs." "NHL analyst Mike Johnson
Johnson also opined that Nylander does well whether showered with praise or doing poorly and that, "He doesn't worry about either, handles pressure, and is the perfect fit for Toronto."
All of those qualities have led to Nylander being embraced by the Maple Leafs and their fans. Now, on the heels of his eight-year extension that takes him to the end of 2031-2032, he seems destined to spend his entire career in Toronto.
Marner may be freed up mentally and emotionally with his move to Vegas and find great success. Nylander has become a model of consistency with his high-end play. Following the second half of their careers will be captivating since they are now opponents and ranked so closely as upper-echelon NHL players.
Ultimately, which of the two players can lead their team to success in the playoffs will determine whether the Toronto Maple Leafs kept the right player. It says here that they did.