Head coach Craig Berube is challenging the Leafs' leading scorer to "engage more" by demoting him to the third line amidst a rare four-game point drought.
For the first time since Craig Berube was named head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 2024, William Nylander appears set to move down to the third line when the club hosts the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
With Bobby McMann serving a one-game suspension for high-sticking Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, Berube moved Nylander off the second line—where he had been skating with Easton Cowan and John Tavares—and into a third-line role alongside Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy.
“The Tavares, Nylander, Cowan line has kind of fallen off for me a bit, dried up a little bit, so I made a switch there just to give him a different look,” Berube said of the move.
Nylander’s lack of production has been notable. He has gone four games without a point for the first time since the final four games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The last time this occurred during the regular season was Jan. 2-7 of this year.
The team’s collective offensive struggles have certainly played a role, but Nylander is counted on to drive play, and that is where the Leafs need to see more.
“I think if I had to look at one thing, I would say he's got to get involved more, engage more in the games, work his way through it,” Berube said. “All players go through it at some point, but I think if he just works his way through it, he'll get out of it quicker.”
Nylander recently dealt with an illness and missed three games this season due to a lower-body injury, but he dismissed those setbacks as reasons for his slump.
“I feel like there are chances where I should maybe be shooting the puck, passing it, whatever. And (I) needed a little bit more hunger to attack the net and get the puck there," Nylander said. "So I think that's probably one of the aspects that's missing.”
Given that Nylander has gone through these stretches before, it is hard to push the panic button on a forward who leads the team in points (32) and assists (21). However, this marks the first time Berube has moved Nylander down the lineup to send a message.
Sheldon Keefe often utilized this tactic during his tenure as coach with the Leafs from 2019-2024, sometimes by design rather than as punishment. But as the Leafs tighten up defensively, they still need their stars to provide offense. Perhaps this is the way to spark Nylander.
Toronto’s power play fell to 13.6 percent following their 2-0 victory against Tampa on Monday, and the unit's struggles are undoubtedly a major factor in Nylander’s scoring drought.
Latest Stories:
Report: Maple Leafs And Chris Tanev To Decide Whether Defenseman Needs Surgery For Upper-Body Injury