Nylander - In round 2 doing his thing.

[therealkoho]

Yet he was the best player on the ice in the 3rd playing with and setting up Tavares. I prefer he does not play with JT but if he puts in the same effort he did in the 3rd, playing with Tavares in not the issue IMO.

JT is still a dangerous player, one of 30 or so players who score at a PPG pace. He has never been a great skater, jmo but this is what has held him out of the top 10 scorers in the league.

It really shouldn’t matter what anybody makes at this time of year should it?
Aren’t they now playing because they’re driven to win for themselves, their teammate’s and the fans?
Now is the time to give it your all whether you’re making min, max or anything in bebetween.

Can you imagine being 55 yrs old, your career 20 yrs over and taking your grandson to the HHoF and showing him your name on the cup. That's what they play for.

These players have been anointed leaders of the team: Rielly, marner, Matthews and Tavares.

Nylander is the motivate by punishment player.
From what you have written, that approach doesn't seem to be working.

It's been ongoing for Will since Jr in Sweden. I don't think anyone has been able to figure out why these periods of checking out happen, but a benching or a couple of nights in the press box usually snaps him out of it.

Sure it is, they’ve been great.

Yes they certainly have.

And despite that, and the ridiculous takes of some people, he was our best player again.

Best player? Maybe! Best skater absolutely, best game as a Leaf, not really.

Can he be this good every night, I sure hope so, because we need Will to be that player who can dominate shifts, who can wear out defenders chasing him, who opens up ice for his team mates, who the opposition have to account for.

I doubt he will sign back here anyways. Move him for best package. We are gonna have a different core next year or we will have a different core the following regardless and with no assets.

2 of the 4 have to go, or just 1 if they don't take a whole bunch of money back.

Mid-season I was advocating that Will was one of the guys we have to keep, if he agrees to no more than 10m AAV per season. His play since camp had been phenomenal, and then he had a drop off which started to go away with a few games left. In the regular season it's OK for that to happen.

He was good Will for most of the Lightning series and he like a lot of the other guys got deluged by the tsunami that was the Florida Panthers and somehow became the first guy up for air pulling his team mates up with him.

I ragged on him along with a lot of other people, only because I was used to doing so, and I don't like pissing on Marner too much, nor Matthews really, but I shouldn't have, because I like many of you know this is a team game and Willy is a member of that whole team that was getting rag dolled a bit.

A win tonight and everything changes, just keep up the bullying of Bob, keep crowding him, keep digging at pucks, a couple of high hard ones onto his mask, don't let him see and don't let him breath.

Oh yeah and

GLG

 

[therealkoho]

Falling into the matthews-marner trap of previous years where he has the puck on a string but no killer instinct to conclude the play. The play just fizzles away on final execution.

Doesn't help Tavares should have scored 2-3 times on some Willy passes though. Nylander should have a bunch of assists this series based on his overall body of work.

In terms of goals he's been a fail. He's not even taking a look or bothering to shoot.

He doesn't want to show Matty up by actually getting them on net.

 

[ULF_55]

I'm house watching and leave the TV on for a few hours each day to keep up appearance of inhabitation while I'm at my own place.

So I go into the house to turn off the tv and it has the Leafs - Panthers highlights player and I'm watching Nylander break into the zone and put a puck on a forwards stick in good shooting position more than once and in both cases the players didn't even get a shot off.

I think the pressure on some of his mates is just too much for them to play their game.

 

[thewave]

Watching some clips. Who else do we have that can in two strides basically pull away from anyone in the league.

Willy goes from 0 to see ya later in 2 seconds flat.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

He is only 1 of core 4 with BLOW BYE speed .. and he has a great shot and he has great skill .. he is our only ALL tool guy .. but he does have a tendency to go SOFT and HIDE and be uninvolved .. please Willy be da man tonight .. bring it .. da big guy

 

[Blanche Blanche]

Nylander has a shot and is not undersized. But does take days off.

Marner gets bullied off the puck easier. But is more consistent. Has QB vision.

I’d take Nylander for less Money.

 

[ULF_55]

He is only 1 of core 4 with BLOW BYE speed .. and he has a great shot and he has great skill .. he is our only ALL tool guy .. but he does have a tendency to go SOFT and HIDE and be uninvolved .. please Willy be da man tonight .. bring it .. da big guy

Maybe he needs to be put in a position of leadership.

Rotate the "A", put an equal amount responsibility and reward on his shoulders.

All responsibility without reward hasn't worked.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Maybe he needs to be put in a position of leadership.

Rotate the "A", put an equal amount responsibility and reward on his shoulders.

All responsibility without reward hasn't worked.

agreed and please please please please take him off da boat anchor that is JT

 

[Farsailor]

I would give him an A. They dont show him in use, or in any good way at all that he is supposed to be a core piece. So something like that might mentaly be a push. He is well spoken and not afraid to talk. Nylander often shows up when he feel that he is needed. And they might say that to him, but they show something else. I dont think he should were C and defenitly dont think Tavares should either.

As a player i would sleep if Tavares talked to me , and i would never take Marner or Matthews serious . A realy angry Nylander would probably make me listen, but most because it would be so unlikely.

But if Tavares takes us to next round i change opinion.

Agree. Treat him like a star and he will play like a star. I think that is also what we saw when he carried team Sweden to the gold medal in the worlds and was mvp. Last playoff Nylander was comforting a crying Marner in the penalty box, i remember thinking who leads whom..

 

[ZEBROA]

So you wanna give a letter to a guy who never gets angry, cause he 'probably' would make you listen if he were to get angry, cause it would be so unlikely?

View attachment 707166

I dont drink... Maby thats the problem.

If a person who never get angry get angry you listen more often then not. He seems more mature then Marner and Matthews. Just a feeling he is a player who grows with responsability and
trust... But away from Tavares

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

I've said it before, down one goal if there's one guy I want to have the puck on their stick it's William f***ing Nylander.

 

[TakeTheBody]

Not many have the talent to score that goal. Not many have the testicular fortitude to score that goal. In Styles!!!!

 

[robertmac43]

He is well worth the money, Showing up in a big way today.

 

[HandshakeLineRespect]

It just dawned on me that Nylander is a superior playoff performer and is wayyy better with the media than the other 3 bozos, yet no letter for him. Weird.

 

[ULF_55]

Stepped up again in the toughest games.

One tough character.

 

[Menzinger]

He made his case to stay. We'll see in a few weeks if it was enough

 

[pcruz]

What is it that Nylander did on the goal?

He skated and didn't glide.

When he does that, he's fantastic.

Gotta say that he played really well games 4 and 5.

 

[LeafGrief]

Earned the Leaf on his shirt tonight, both the goal and the backcheck on Tkachuk to prevent that wrap-around goal. Willy ain't the centrepiece of what we want this team to be, but he's the complementary firepower that makes a good team great.

He's grown so much from when he was a tentative and streaky youngster. At 27, he is a very, very good hockey player.

 

[JKG33]

I like Nylander, but him causing a giveaway while ducking a hit from Gudas in OT is the most Leafs thing ever

 

[thewave]

I like Nylander, but him causing a giveaway while ducking a hit from Gudas in OT is the most Leafs thing ever

That was bad. You need a Nylander in your boy band though.

 

[glue]

To think at some point there was a large contingent of this fan base clamouring to trade this guy over the other 3 lol. Ultimately he wasn’t incredible either, but better than the other 3 by a long shot and the least paid!! To me this guy doesn’t get phased by pressure and can handle Toronto, neither Matthews or Marner have shown enough of that. They actually take a step down in the playoffs instead of raising their level of play

 

[hamzarocks]

At 7M 3 in 5 series with a lot of chances crested is good

At 9-10M if he pulls 3 in 5 hes the next mitch marner

Needs to be better next year with the new core players we have

 

[Gabriel426]

I really think the next coach have to make Willie into a C. I think that will help with his checking out bc being a C needs focus and moving his feet.

At 7M 3 in 5 series with a lot of chances crested is good

At 9-10M if he pulls 3 in 5 hes the next mitch marner

Needs to be better next year with the new core players we have

The thing is, we know Willie is Pippen and Rodman , as he is not our Jordan or Magic.
But MM is supposed to be our Magic

 

[Leafshater67]

Nylander is the one I keep. He’s cheaper and just as good

 

[Bomber0104]

Nylander's issue is that he is easily the most tradeable relative to his cap-hit.

And that's both a compliment to him as a player and a dig at how poorly our soon-to-be-expired-GM negotiated the other 3 big contracts for our core players.

For that reason, we should probably trade Nylander to re-balance the roster and prospect depth slightly better...

And again, that's nothing to do with Nylander as a player/person.