William Nylander did anything and everything in his hometown over the last week. The hottest player in the NHL helped his team escape Europe with the best possible result.
William Nylander did anything and everything in his hometown over the last week. The hottest player in the NHL helped his team escape Europe with the best possible result.
STOCKHOLM — You couldn't blame the Toronto Maple Leafs if fatigue had settled in by the time they arrived at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Sunday to dress in their final game of the NHL's Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden.
But when you have the hottest player in the NHL on a massive heater, it just becomes an expectation that William Nylander is going to find a way.
The Maple Leafs squandered a 3-1 lead in regulation time in their game against the Minnesota Wild, only to have Nylander become the overtime hero for his fifth point in two games in a 4-3 victory.
"He’s got such confidence and swagger there now that he’s just feeling like he can turn the game at any point in time," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Nylander. "I don’t think he’d look at these two games but he stepped up in big moments. It was a huge part of why we got four points here."
Nylander extended his season-opening points streak to 17 games on Sunday with a goal and an assist. That followed a three-point effort in Toronto's 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
The Maple Leafs arrived in Stockholm on Tuesday and from the get-go, much of the focus was on Nylander's arrival in his home city. He played tour guide for his teammates. He went on Swedish television shows, held autograph signing sessions all while trying to fit in time with his extended family and friends.
It was certainly a unique experience.
"Walking around with my buddies and then the next day playing an NHL game. It’s been weird but it’s been lots of fun," Nylander said.
The skilled forward didn't have a lot to say in English during his time in Stockholm. He let his play on the ice do most of the talking. But his ability to perform at a consistent level, all while managing the demand on his time away from the ice, is what impressed his teammates the most.
Morgan Rielly attended an NHLPA event with Nylander on Thursday the day before the club's first game.
“Then he did something the next day and I felt like I needed some time off. But he just kept going and played outstanding," Rielly said of Nylander.
Keefe, who openly talked about his struggles to get adjusted to the jet lag on throughout the trip, was equally impressed.
"He had a full plate here more so than probably anyone here from the entire of the four teams," Keefe said. "To be able to do that and still spend time with his family and still put on a show on the ice and make the impact that he did is tremendous and (I'm) thrilled for him."
Nylander sits just one point back of the NHL lead in points immediately following his performance in Stockholm with 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists).
An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, a dip in Nylander's performance due to the pressure that would surround the situation would be understandable. But elite players rise to those occasions and the Maple Leafs are certainly benefitting from that in the short term, even if it means a complicated process to get him to be a part of the organization in the long term.
"I just think he’s unflappable, that’s really it," Keefe said of Nylander. "Whether it’s the spotlight of playing in Toronto and the media and all the different things that come with being a Maple Leaf, I don’t think that phases him. I think he loves it and enjoys it. He lives here in Sweden’s biggest city and you can see he's a bit of a rockstar here and we learned that."
Related
William Nylander Extends Franchise Record Season-Opening Points Streak to 17 Games
Maple Leafs Dress Same Lineup Vs. Wild in Stockholm, Sweden, Where to Watch
News from THN.com
'He Wants to Be Needed': Patrick Kane Linked to Red Wings, Leafs and Sabres
THN Archive: 10 Ways Brett Hull Wanted To Change The Game in 2003
THN On The 'E': Red Wings ECHL Affiliate Toledo Walleye Off to Hot Start, and Opening the Mailbag