William Nylander Comments After Being Demoted By Sheldon Keefe

Following a 7-2 defeat to the New York Islanders, William Nylander, the Maple Leafs forward, shared his discontent with his recent performance. This came after coach Sheldon Keefe criticized Nylander for his lack of pace.

Instead of playing in the Leafs' top-6, Nylander found himself on the third line with Bobby McMann and Sam Lafferty. Despite his team-leading 35 goals and 79 points, Keefe aimed to encourage Nylander to be more assertive and target high-risk areas. Consequently, his ice time increased to 20:32 after a recent decline.

Nylander failed to score a point for the fourth game in a row and managed only three shots on goal, despite the additional playing time. He ended the game with a neutral rating, while teammates John Tavares and Mitch Marner both had a minus-three rating.

Nylander Comments On His Latest Struggles

As the playoffs draw near, Nylander admitted to his current challenges:


While slumps are common during an 82-game season, Nylander has largely enjoyed a steady and successful year. With the Leafs' strong offense, it's likely he'll rebound shortly. For now, Nylander is focused on overcoming his struggles, with his next chance coming Thursday night against the Florida Panthers.


As seen on Maple Leafs Insider - Nylander drops a very blunt quote, which lets us know exactly where his head is at right now amid a scoring slump