William Nylander just posted a message that every Maple Leafs fan needed to hear

The Maple Leafs' 2025-26 season could be summed up in many words: catastrophe, disappointment, failure. But there's one thing you can't take away from it is the fact that William Nylander had himself another strong season.

Despite missing a good chunk of the season, Nylander still was able to put together another 70-point season and was one of the few bright spots; always seeming to get a goal whenever they needed it most (or didn't).

He's locked up long term and there's a lot of hope that if he can learn to put in a full effort at both ends of the ice, then perhaps he can be the solution to Toronto's problems. He's in his prime, he's hungry, and he's ready to get some revenge for this year.

And his message to the fans sparks a lot of hope, even if he's having a bit of fun with it.

Nylander posted to his personal Instagram a message to fans for next season, and though he was a lot more casual than say, John Tavares would be, it does spark a lot of hope for what next season could end up bringing:

Look, there's a lot you can say about Nylander that is both good and bad, and his reluctance to really open up to the media has always been one of his supposed downsides — but you can't deny how good he is.

Nylander, 29, had 79 points in 65 games for the Maple Leafs this season (30 goals, 49 assists) which gave him his fifth-straight 30+ goal season and fifth-straight 75+ point season. His physical and defensive game slipped a tad, but he was also only responsible for 16 PIM whereas it felt like Toronto could breathe and be penalized.

He has never given up on the city, loves the fanbase, never backed down from criticism and even when there was a lot of debate over Mitch Marner's safety, Nylander was more than happy to say he felt more than comfortable in the city; essentially backing up the fans.

You can certainly point to his lack of a strong defensive effort 100% of the time, and it's certainly something you can knock him for, but he makes up for it in so many other ways it's almost okay to turn a blind eye. Though if he gets better defensively then that means he can only become more dominant and maybe help ease Auston Matthews' load.

Knowing that things were such an abject failure this season, Nylander knows that things need to change and that starts with him. There's a lot to love about him, but until he fixes some of the holes; he's always going to face some noise.

So that's definitely motivation for Nylander to not only improve in all facets of his game, but also prove to the fans that he can give 100% all the time, not just in the offensive zone. He's a playmaking guru, so putting him up top with Auston Matthews for an extended period of time is a smart move that needs to pay off eventually right?

Coming into next season there are a lot of expectations and even more anxiety surrounding the new faces whether it be in the front office, behind the bench, or in the lineup. Nylander knows the best way to ease that transition is to be even better than he has been.

From the sounds of it, he's ready to get to work.

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