When William Nylander signed his 8-year, $11.5M per season contract extension last January, many people wondered whether that big bag of money would serve to limit the growth in Nylander’s game. The Toronto Maple Leafs star winger was coming off a season that saw him score 40 goals and 87 points, both career highs.
William Nylander proved the doubters wrong, however, finishing 2023-2024 with even better totals, again hitting the 40-goal mark and falling just shy of a 100-pt year (ending with 98).
Nylander has continued his strong play so far this season, and is on pace to score at least 40 goals for the third consecutive year. What more could the Toronto Maple Leafs want?
How about a bodycheck or two?
William Nylander Is Not a Hit With the Toronto Maple Leafs
I have to admit I was shocked earlier this week when I learned that William Nylander had a grand total of one (1) hit on the year. He has since doubled that total to two hits. Whaaaaaat???? How is that even possible? The stats guys credit you with a hit for accidentally stumbling into someone along the boards. To be fair, one has to actually be along the boards in order for such a circumstance to occur, so there is that.
Now, I don’t expect, or even want, my skill players to go constantly banging around and risking those soft hands to such violence. Every player has a role, and hitting clearly isn’t listed in bold font on Nylander’s resume. But it must be frustrating for a guy like Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube to look at the stats and see one of his players have a mere 2 hits in 32 games.
There’s value in making physical contact with an opponent. Even if it just knocks the player off balance for a half second, that can sometimes be enough to make a subsequent pass go astray or a shot go wide. The anticipation of being hit will naturally make most players hurry a pass or at least interfere with their concentration.
Just how unusual is it for someone to have only 2 hits in 32 games? NHL.com lists 780 skaters who have played at least one game this season. Only 34 of those players have fewer than 2 hits, and only 5 of those 34 players have played more than 5 games. 770 players have registered at least 1 hit this year, and Nylander comes in at 769th in hits per 60 minutes (at a measly .19).
You could argue that this complaint is nitpicky and doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of an NHL season. I would agree that it’s a small point, but not a meaningless one. In a game where the difference between winning and losing often comes down to a random bounce or a small bit of extra effort, it only makes sense to maximize the percentages. We all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs need every bit of luck, skill, work or positivity to overcome their 57 year Cup drought.
So please, Willy, go hit someone. I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.