"The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4-0-2 with William Nylander out of the line-up, sparking debate at whether or not they need the All-Star winger moving forward. There's no question that William Nylander is one of the most talent forwards in hockey, but that doesn't necessarily drive winning. He has 58 playoff points in 68 career games, which is similar to Auston Matthews' stat-line, but the captain's defensive ability makes up for his lack of offense at times, which is something you can't say about Nylander."
"The former No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft is always inching towards the opponent's blue-line looking for a breakaway and is never going to be a player that wills a team to win. We've seen his intensity pick up, as shown in the Amazon documentary, but you can make your team a heck of a lot better if you used his $11.5M contract correctly."
William Nylander remains a highly skilled top-line winger with strong playoff production but limited defensive impact. The team has performed better defensively and with more urgency in his absence, posting a 4-0-2 record and multiple games allowing one or fewer goals. Nylander carries an $11.5M contract and sits among roughly $42M tied to four high-paid players, making him the likeliest trade asset. The roster needs a game-breaker and greater physicality, and current play under coach Craig Berube emphasizes defensive responsibility and team-oriented effort.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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