Craig Berube pulls slumping William Nylander aside for a one-on-one chat
Photo credit: Toronto Sun (Left) Dan Hamilton - USA Today (Right)
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube had to have a one-on-one chat with William Nylander amidst a rough patch, but explained he still has faith in the forward.
Ahead of Thursday's clash with the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube made a big change to the lineup in practice as he shifted star forward William Nylander to the third line as a way to spark him amidst a rough stretch of games.
Having gone pointless in his last four games, Nylander needs a little bit of a reset it seems, and while it's a bit strange to see him in the bottom-six, perhaps there is a method to Craig Berube's madness.
Craig Berube needed a one-on-one with William Nylander
It was a topic that reporters no doubt wanted an explanation for after the team's practice, and Berube explained that he needed to pull the forward aside for a chit-chat to make sure everyone was on the same page.
Berube was honest regarding his conversation with Nylander:
Work your way through it. I would say he's got to get involved more, engaged more in the game & work his way through it.
It also goes along with what Berube expressed to others on the roster such as Easton Cowan and John Tavares; who have also experienced a bit of a cold spell as of late:
Tavares, Nylander and Cowan have fallen off for me a bit, dried up.
It's a good thing Berube is trying to figure something out to spark his stars as he can't really have them go quiet right now.
Toronto can't afford to have their stars go cold during December stretch
While the weather gets colder, Toronto can't afford to do the same as they are heading into a crucial stretch right before Christmas.
After Thursday, they play Saturday against Edmonton, Tuesday vs. Chicago, and then continue on with Washington, Nashville, Dallas, and Pittsburgh right just before the break.
Toronto is going to need to build up as much momentum as possible, and while they aren't playing divisional rivals, getting important points against teams like Nashville and Chicago are crucial to making sure they don't fall too far behind in the standings.
If the team can get hot again with their stars contributing more, and their third line continuing to play above average; not to mention Dennis Hildeby's emergence as a brick wall in net, they are going to have a much easier time over the next two weeks.
But that all depends on if William Nylander and the others listen to Craig Berube and start picking things up when it matters most.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 10 | 1279 ANSWERS Craig Berube pulls slumping William Nylander aside for a one-on-one chat Will the Maple Leafs get a goal out of William Nylander vs. San Jose? | ||
| Yes | 854 | 66.8 % |
| No | 425 | 33.2 % |
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