William Nylander has had another terrific season for the Toronto Maple Leafs this year. He’s had the quietest 40-goal season in team history. As a matter of fact, Nylander’s third-straight 40-goal campaign has been overshadowed by Mitch Marner’s contract drama and Auston Matthews’ injury issues.
Nevertheless, William Nylander has put his head down and ploughed through a season in which there have been more ups than downs. He hasn’t complained about the tougher, more rigorous Craig Berube system while maintaining his usual production.
Entering the weekend, Nylander sits at 42 goals, 10 behind NHL leader Leon Draisaitl. While it seems that Nylander likely won’t catch Draisaitl, Nylander’s achievements this season haven’t received the credit they deserve.
That’s a shame as William Nylander has a shot to join Rick Vaive, Auston Matthews, Dave Andreychuk, and Gary Leeman as the Toronto Maple Leafs only 50-goal scorers in team history.
Among the names on the list, the unlikeliest member is Leeman. Unfortunately, Leeman was a one-hit wonder as he never really got back to his 50-goal form, especially after being traded to the Calgary Flames in the infamous Doug Gilmour trade.
But that’s not the case with Nylander. He’s not a one-hit wonder. If anything, he’s been the opposite. Now, I’ll be honest. I haven’t been thrilled with Nylander’s defensive game over the years.
However, looking at his performance this season, it seems that Nylander has matured into the team’s most underrated Core Four member. As it stands, William Nylander has given the Leafs everything the team could have asked for this season.
Looking at William Nylander’s chances at 50 goals
So, does William Nylander have a realistic chance of topping 50 goals?
When looking at the Toronto Maple Leafs remaining schedule, there’s a good chance he could hit the 50-goal plateau. The Leafs play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. The Jackets are coming off a 7-3 pounding at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. So, there could be an opportunity there.
Then, the Leafs play three tight-checking games down the stretch against the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. Those matchups hardly look like high-scoring affairs. While Nylander could get on the board in any of those games, it will be harder for him to rack up a high goal total.
Lastly, the Leafs close out the season against the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings. Those two games against non-playoff teams look like a good opportunity for Nylander to push for 50. But there’s one catch. Depending on how the Leafs are doing in the standings, and how banged up the team might be, Craig Berube may choose to sit Nylander in one or both of those games.
All told, Nylander will need to have two or three big games down the final stretch in order to hit the 50-goal mark. I think he can do it, but he’ll need to keep pushing as the Toronto Maple Leafs try to secure the top spot in the Atlantic Division.