William Nylander won’t say what went wrong with the Maple Leafs this season but we will

Embossed in a losing season, Nylander is facing unknown territory. He's really never missed the playoffs nor has he been stuck in the basement of the Atlantic Division but in 2026 both are a stark reality.

We're starting to see that he's doing things differently give the situation, and with him taking more of a leadership role in the wake of Auston Matthews' absence; it feels like he's had enough and wants to take charge.

That is a refreshing addition to Nylander's game however he stopped short of really mentioning what the issues are. Speaking out after practice, Nylander explained that he has some reservations about the season but is looking to keep his thoughts to himself:

There is one thing Nylander wasn't shy about however was his antics with head coach Craig Berube in practice, where he gave a cheeky Hulk Hogan-esque ear wave, but insisted it was just good fun:

Berube also commented regarding the situation, throwing a little jab back at Nylander and continuing the fun:

It's good to see that things are a little more level headed and fun now but if you take a look at how we got here, it's anything but.

Taking injuries out of the mix because every team deals with them, this is not the same Toronto team. Goaltending has been average at best, the defence is more porous than a sieve, and while they're getting some good scoring out of Nylander, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares — the others aren't really crushing it.

Add on top of it Nylander saw three of his teammates leave via trade, and it wasn't just a couple random guys. It was Bobby McMann (who was arguably Toronto's hottest scorer this year), Nic Roy, and Scott Laughton.

The latter two are huge locker room leaders and to not have them to kind of paddle through the rough waters is tough regardless if you're a superstar or not.

On top of it all, he saw his captain get mauled and sent off for the rest of the season while he did nothing. He's trying to make things right now, but you're still looking at a defeated team where nothing goes right.

Of course Nylander wants to say silent. This is embarrassing especially for a team who were Atlantic Division Champions last year and no one wants to draw any more attention than they have.

But Nylander's silence speaks volumes, knowing that even by holding his tongue he can tell everyone exactly what he thinks.

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