William Nylander Shows Just How Important He Is To The Maple Leafs After His Injury

Some players seem like they are built to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mitch Marner, who was run out of the city last summer, might not have been one of them. But with his laid-back attitude and creative flair, William Nylander is clearly not fazed by the bright lights and pressures that come with being a Maple Leaf.

After all, only a player nicknamed 'Willy Styles' could get away with wearing a white tank top while watching the game from up in the press box during a recent injury stint.

Now healthy, Nylander is backing up that bravado by playing some of his best hockey of the season. That it comes at a time when Auston Matthews is also back to his old self is a big reason why Toronto has gone from having the worst record in the Eastern Conference standings three weeks ago to heading into Tuesday's game against Utah as a wild-card team. 

Matthews, who has eight goals and 14 points in the past 10 games, has been a big reason why the Leafs are on a 10-game point streak. But since returning from injury, Nylander also has two goals and five points in two games.

In the process, he's reminded the NHL why he is one of the most dynamic — and fun — players to watch.

In his first game back, Nylander had a goal and two assists in a 5-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Two nights later, he scored the game-winning goal and picked up an assist as the Leafs upset the league-leading Colorado Avalanche. 

Now, Nylander isn't a flawless player. He's been streaky this season, recently going 11 games without a goal in December. And there are still times he drifts out of the play, usually in hope of an opposition turnover and a breakaway for him. But when he's on and skating effortlessly around the ice, he changes everything for Toronto's offense. 

Nylander leads all Leafs this season with 46 points in 35 games — six more than John Tavares. And while he probably won't get close to the 45 goals he scored last year, which put him as the runner-up for the Rocket Richard Trophy, his 16 goals are tied for second-most on the Leafs. But the real standout part of his game has been his playmaking.

With Marner gone, someone needs to pick up the slack when it comes to assisting on goals. On Saturday, he showcased that playmaking ability with a cross-ice backdoor feed to Matias Maccelli that landed on the winger's blade.

Nylander, who leads the Leafs with 30 assists, is producing at a 70-assist pace this season. 

At 29 years old, Nylander is clearly in his prime. And yet, watching him, there's still probably another level to his game. He's already one of the most reliable elite players on the planet, which is why nobody begrudges Nylander his $11.5-million annual salary. Next month, when he represents Sweden at the upcoming Olympics in Milan, even more will be expected out of him.

For now, the Leafs need Nylander to continue doing what he's been doing since returning from a lower-body injury — dazzling fans with his slick moves and making goalies and defensemen look silly.  

Matthews might get more attention because of his premier goal-scoring ability. But if Nylander can produce at a similar level, then Toronto could be a team to watch out for this spring.

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