‘He’s Got to Be a Driver’: Maple Leafs' Jim Hiller Needs More From William Nylander Amid Team's Struggles

William Nylander’s early season points production has papered over deeper issues at five-on-five for much of his recent struggles, but those issues have become harder to ignore as the Toronto Maple Leafs have slid into a four-game losing streak in regulation time.

The Leafs fell 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena, their fourth consecutive loss in regulation and sixth defeat in seven games. Nylander finished without a point and a minus-4 in 15:54 of ice time, the latest entry in a stretch where his even-strength impact has lagged.

Through 19 games, Nylander has 11 goals and 22 points. Eight of those points have come on the power play. At five-on-five, the Leafs have controlled just 44.3 per cent of shot attempts with him on the ice, ranking near the bottom of the league among forwards. They have been outscored 18-13 in those minutes and generated only about 40 per cent of expected goals. He has also been on the ice for more five-on-five goals against than any other Toronto skater this season, despite starting a high percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone.

The recent sample is thinner still. Nylander has three points in his last six games entering Tuesday, with limited even-strength contribution. He has spoken openly about the disconnect, saying earlier this month that he has not had the puck on his stick as often as usual in the neutral and offensive zones and that he was still trying to sort out why.

Coach Jim Hiller has echoed that assessment while making clear the onus is not solely on Nylander.

“I know he can play better than he’s playing right now. I think that’s a pretty fair statement,” Hiller said after the Avalanche loss. “If you asked him, I think he would agree. I don’t think it’s just him. I don’t think his line’s been great. But if we’re talking with him specifically, he’s a hell of a player, and he’ll get out of it. He’s got to be a driver for us.”

Hiller has previously pointed to Nylander’s willingness to come back deeper in the defensive zone and serve as a breakout option rather than waiting higher in the neutral zone for the puck. That adjustment, the coach has suggested, could give Nylander more of the carries and entries that defined earlier stretches of his career. The Leafs’ five-on-five process has not consistently rewarded that approach so far.

Nylander’s underlying numbers have not matched the surface production that has kept him on pace for a high-scoring season. The power-play success, at least from the earlier points of this season, has masked how often the Leafs have been chasing the play when he is on the ice at even strength. With the team now sitting at 8-10-2 and searching for answers after consecutive home losses, Hiller’s message is that Nylander’s individual skill remains intact and that the winger needs to reclaim a larger role in driving play rather than relying on the man advantage.

Whether that shift materializes quickly enough to steady a struggling lineup remains the immediate question. 

Some of Nylander’s success also came with Kirill Marchenko, who was playing alongside him until the Russian winger was injured in a game against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 26. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Nylander’s 5-on-5 expected goals with Marchenko on the ice with him at 5-on-5 is 55 per cent over 65:19 minutes this season. That number is 36 per cent without Marchenko over 228:07. 

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