William Nylander Takes Accountability for Maple Leafs' Struggles After Latest Defeat
It was another humiliation for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the St. Louis Blues, and superstar William Nylander admits that he and the team need to be better.
With yet another setback after a fairly hot start to the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have lost two straight by a combined score of 11-3. It's led to frustrations from players and coaches, including Craig Berube's outburst on Auston Matthews after a key defensive error. It was the proverbial cherry on top of the disappointment sundae that was the Maple Leafs.
So it's great to see that not only has the Maple Leafs captain taken responsibility for the team's decline but so is William Nylander, who spoke to the media after the loss and was blunt in his observations:
«We've for sure taken a dip. That's on me and everyone else on the team to pick it up a notch.»
Nylander also admitted to his own defensive error, calling the play 'stupid' and leading to the fourth St. Louis goal.
It's great to see the Maple Leafs stars taking accountability for their actions, something that wasn't found when Sheldon Keefe was at the helm. It seems Craig Berube has started to get his mentality driven into the players and it's still a learning process to go from being coddled to being disciplined for a lot of the players.
For what it's worth, Nylander has been part of the best line for the Maple Leafs during the start of the season alongside Bobby McMann and Max Domi, though has slowed down in the past few games. Combining for 17 points through Toronto's first six games, the trio have gone pointless in the last two and while it's not something to worry about initially, it's an incredible contrast from just a week ago.
The Toronto Maple Leafs still have lots of time to turn things around however their schedule going forward isn't the easiest. First up is the Boston Bruins on Saturday, before they head to take on the Winnipeg Jets; who have yet to lose a game yet. Then they head to Seattle and make stops in St. Louis and Minnesota before finally heading back home to face Boston.
It's going to be a tough road ahead for William Nylander and the Maple Leafs if they don't turn it around soon then there may be a lot more apologies from Nylander and company.
Previously on HockeyPatrol
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 25 | 384 ANSWERS William Nylander Takes Accountability for Maple Leafs' Struggles After Latest Defeat Will the Maple Leafs bounce back from their two losses or will there be a third loss in a row to Boston? | ||
| They'll win! | 197 | 51.3 % |
| They'll lose again | 187 | 48.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
