'Spending Less Time In The Neutral Zone Waiting For The Puck,' Maple Leafs Coach Jim Hiller On William Nylander's Lack Of Defensive Responsibility

Certainly, Toronto Maple Leafs right winger William Nylander will never win the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Despite his high-end skill and skating qualities, Nylander can be one of the most frustrating star-caliber players when it comes to the defensive side of the game. 

Although he’s generating loads of points this season, 10 goals and 21 points in 17 games, Nylander has been glaringly disengaged at times, floating around between his team’s blueline and the neutral zone, waiting for an outlet pass that fails to come as often as it arrives.

It all feels like a familiar tradeoff when it comes to Nylander’s all-around impact – he can be as dynamic in the ‘O’ zone as anyone in the game, but he can give back to the opposition with his lack of defensive accountability.

You take the bad with the good with Nylander, because the good is very good. But you can’t fault Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller for delicately trying to coax a stronger defensive game out of Nylander. 

“Certainly, the point production is there, but I’m used to seeing him back in the day (when Hiller was Toronto’s assistant coach) where he would carry the puck through the neutral zone, take people wide, turn up, and find a secondary option,” Hiller said of Nylander on Wednesday. “He just hasn’t had a lot of those looks.

“We’ve talked a lot about him maybe coming back for the puck a little bit more; maybe spending less time in the neutral zone waiting for the puck and more time in our own zone trying to be the guy who is the breakout outlet and is carrying it.”

You’re not going to get a fire-and-brimstone rant out of Hiller – at least, when it comes to handling Nylander’s ego. Hiller certainly doesn’t want to burn bridges with one of his most important players. But there’s no mistaking Hiller’s message to Nylander – he wants him more active in Toronto’s defensive zone, and if that means fewer thrilling Nylander breakaways, so be it.

Hiller wants to motivate Nylander and the rest of his players to be confident and take advantage of the opportunities he affords them.

But the Craig Berube experiment didn’t work for Nylander: he dropped from 98 points in 2023-24 to 84 the following season, then to 79 last season, though injuries forced him to miss some time last year. Berube squeezed the fancy out of his Leafs team, and Nylander wasn’t there to have his elite offensive instincts snuffed out in the name of Toronto being a stingy defensive team. 

This is the main challenge for Hiller with Nylander is Hiller wants Nylander to be that electrifying offensive presence, but he also wants to nudge Nylander deeper into the Maple Leafs’ defensive zone. 

Remember, while Nylander’s scoring skill is his bread and butter, he’s also had seven seasons in which he posted 39 assists or more. That’s what sticks out when you read the tea leaves from Hiller’s comments about Nylander – he wants him considerably closer to the end boards by Toronto’s net.

While it will be harder for Nylander to break out from deeper in the ‘D’ zone, his slick skating and stickhandling will let him be a play-creator as often as he’s a play-finisher.

In other words, it’s the balance Hiller is looking for from Nylander. Hiller is giving him more shifts than ever before, as he’s averaging a career-best 20:11 of ice time – nearly a full minute more than the 19:25 he averaged last season.

Nylander also has a career-high shooting percentage of 20.4 percent this season, but when you can’t escape the disappointing optics of being a habitual floater, the excellent things you do achieve lose a bit of their luster.

Nylander is in no danger of being benched, but Hiller’s recent comments make it obvious – something meaningful is lacking in Nylander’s game at the moment.

Until he’s more conscientious in the ‘D’ zone and more committed to engaging opponents rather than staying on the periphery, Nylander will continue to hear criticisms about his overall game. The 30-year-old is in his prime years, but his defense still needs work, and it’s no secret.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.