William Nylander goes missing as frustrated Maple Leafs fans call for him to be traded

William Nylander has disappeared during the Maple Leafs' struggles as fans want him traded after a lack of effort when he's losing or defending.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are mired in a rough stretch right now, and despite some solid performances from Auston Matthews and a great sophomore season from Easton Cowan - there are some serious negatives too.

They're injured, they are arguably as bad defensively as they were last year, and their head coach is currently being lambasted by the fan base for his inability to adapt to situations and making some puzzling decisions.

However there is one player getting a lot of criticism and rightly so despite a strong season - William Nylander.

Nylander's attitude and middling ddefensive play causing outrage with Maple Leafs fans

Nylander has been fantastic offensively this season and is tied for first on the team in goals with 11 and second in points with 22.

But there is some serious concern from the Maple Leafs fan base that Nylander's effort level only extends one way and it's becoming a problem.

Maple Leafs fans pointed to the fact that Nylander looks sluggish when asked to do anything but contribute offensively, and the fact that Jim Hiller has already implored him to be a bit more active isn't a good sign.

It's what led to his tumultuous relationship with Craig Berube as there was a clash of personalities. While Hiller isn't as abrasive as Berube, the fact he feels the need to publicly call out Nylander (and the rest of the stars) is not a positive look for anyone.

Nylander has been atrocious at 5v5 and while his power-play production has been stellar, the Maple Leafs aren't a team who can live or die by special teams - they have this year and it's already starting to crumble.

Social media directs harsh criticism towards William Nylander

It's led to the Maple Leafs fans wanting not only more from Nylander, but also a potential trade if things don't turn around.

Many pointed to his perceived attitude issues and the fact that he's bringing the locker room down with his passionless play outside of the opponent's zone:

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However some are pointing to the fact that this is nothing new from Nylander as he often gets hot, cools down, and then picks it up - basically he's streaky:

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Then there are the people who want Nylander traded, and are getting pretty sick and tired of the same old story:

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As you can see, the Maple Leafs fans are not being too kind regardless of the type of production that Nylander has put in, and while he is an ultra-talented scorer and game-changer - he marches to the beat of his own drum.

That's all well and good but he needs to start putting in more of an effort all around or he'll feel the wrath of a tired, disgruntled, and flat-out angry Leafs Nation.

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