William Nylander continued to ascend in first season since contract extension

The theme of William Nylander’s career with the Toronto Maple Leafs to date has been ‘go ahead, doubt me and see what happens’.

It was a dramatic affair when the Leafs signed Nylander to a six-year contract back in 2018-19. The two sides didn’t come to an agreement until December 1, 2018, resulting in Nylander missing the first couple of months of the season, and when he came back, he was a clear step behind the rest of his teammates. Fans were irritated about the holdout situation, and many called for him to be traded. Nylander has insisted time and time again that he thrives under pressure and feeds off of expectations, and the start of his last contract was the first instance of that. The Maple Leafs’ first-round pick in 2014 continued to improve each season, signing a fresh eight-year contract extension in the middle of a career year in the 2023-24 season, scoring 40 goals en route to a 96-point season.

At that point, everybody knew what Nylander was capable of, so the near-5-million-dollar raise didn’t raise as many alarm bells. But just in case there were any doubters left, he made sure to silence them in 2024-25.

How the year went

William Nylander’s first season under Craig Berube went off without a hitch. He finished the season leading the team in goals with 45, and while his overall production took a step back, with 84 points compared to 96 the year before, he was their most consistent player all season and also showed up in the playoffs. Although things ended on a sour note for both he and the team, going pointless in the Leafs’ last four playoff games against Florida, he led the team in scoring in the playoffs with six goals and 15 points in 13 games. His 45 goals marked the third year in a row scoring 40 goals, feeding the idea that this is who he is and what can be expected from him throughout his career.

“He’s a lot of fun to play with, such a unique talent,” Tavares said after Nylander scored his 40th and 41st goals of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 25. “ The way he’s just elevated his game the last number of years and just becoming a perennial all-star, one of the top wingers in the game, and such a game-breaker.”

Nylander also entered the Maple Leafs’ top-10 on the all-time goals list, which is an accomplishment that speaks for itself when you consider the history of the franchise.

“One of the ultimate game-breakers in our league and we’re thrilled to have him,” Tavares continued. “He’s having a great year and 40 is difficult to get.”

From a deployment perspective, Nylander was used very similarly to how he was under Sheldon Keefe. He spent most of the season on John Tavares’ wing, with stops on Auston Matthews’ wing, on the third line, and another attempt to play him at centre. Head coach Craig Berube learned pretty quickly that the best way to coach Nylander is to stay out of his way and let him do his thing. Some might hear this and try to make the argument that this trait makes a player uncoachable, but Berube knows that for some players, less teaching is better.

“Just leave him alone,” Berube said to a room of laughter after Nylander’s two-goal performance in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers. “Nothing gets to him. He doesn’t feel pressure, and I could be wrong, but this is what I see. There’s no too big a stage for this guy; he thrives on this stuff, in my opinion, he looks forward to it, and he wants to be in on those critical situations. When he smells something, he’s there. That goal is as high-end as it can get, in my opinion, with hands.”

Statistical Profile (min. 400 minutes at 5v5)

Nylander’s analytical profile suggests exactly what you would expect from him. His weak defensive game and limited defensive zone starts inflate some of the numbers on that side of the puck, but his strong offensive game offsets it a little bit. You can see in his individual goal differential that the Leafs were far more likely to score when he was on the ice than they were to allow a goal. All things considered, it was a pretty standard season in terms of what we’ve come to expect from Nylander season by season, and his totals in 2024-25 reflect his career averages pretty effectively. Overall, not much to see here. The Corsi numbers might not seem great, but the Leafs as a team weren’t great from a possession standpoint this season, so that’s less of a reflection of him and more of a reflection of Berube’s system compared to Keefe’s.

Notable highlights

William Nylander’s second goal vs. Panthers in Game 1 of Round 2