Lucas Neilson: The Resurgence of William Nylander in Leafs Nation
Number 88
- Lucas.Neilson

We've discussed Wiily to death, how about a real important issue Lucas! How's the fishing been?

Anybody know where to rent a tiger in Toronto?

Legit question.

Leafs outhit Boston and lost. Do you really think their issue is toughness? The reason I see for the last 2 years losing to Boston has been the goaltender shiitting the bed in game 7 and Gardiner being combined -7, and Kadri being suspended.
- RogerRoeper

That is a completely different topic. We're talking about getting rid of Nylander to bring back quality and heart. I do agree with your comments, although no so much the one about Freddy as I feel he was left out to dry, I would also add Babcock's inability to adapt his coaching as another factor. Rolling line after line is not coaching, even Santo_44 can do that. He style does not work this generation, they are very entitled and don't respond well to toughness. Just wait and see what happens this year with Matthews. If its true that he's already started to say he doesn't want to play with certain player, Kappy, what does that say about his leadership? And if Leafs management recognizes that fact, how big do you think his tantrum will be when he isn't given the "C"? Bad attitude is a killer in the room. Look at Eichel. He's a cancer...

It could happen tho..

Maybe Oilers fans will be okay with it, and could be spun as a win for Holland?

It’s not impossible, my Garry’s is 20%
- Arctic_AARDVARK

If they both have disappointing seasons I'll bet a hundred bucks against zero dollars it doesn't happen. I'll just give you a hundred dollars if McDavid is traded to the Leafs the season after next.

So you have nothing then? I figured as much.
Here I'll start for you.... Nylander has 67 hits over 239 games played. That's soft for any league.

Go compare Arvidsson to Nylander. Same draft, and they both had back to back 61 point seasons, with almost identical starts to their careers, except that Arvidsson scored 18 more goals during that 2 year stretch. Now Arvidsson has a 4.25 million salary and cap hit and Nylander has a 9 million salary and 6.96 million cap hit. I know which one I'd rather have.

As a die hard Leaf fan I hope if he's not traded that he does figure his game out, but yes my experience tells me he will not, and his current history of performance tells me he's a risk. the numbers tell me Nylander (27 pts) is extremely overpaid for what he produces. He's paid more than Pastrnak (81 pts), Gaudreau (99 pts) and Backstrom (74 pts).
- JDub76

Hits? Hits? Seriously?

And lol nice try. Ardvidson is not a comparable in the slightest

He had 77 points in his first 140 games(two seasons) when he was given his long term contract. .55 PPG

As for Nylander. And I’ll help you out here by adding the 22 games he played in his first “season” went 134 points in 184 games. .74 PPG

So yeah. If you were Dubas and you tried to use Ardvison as a comparable he would laugh in hot face. So you don’t try either....nice try though.

In the last 3 years his P/60 is 2.552...I can’t find a site that doesn’t include players that have played even just a game.

But I’ll give you some names he’s ahead of.

Kopitar
Teows
Skinner
Getzlaf
Skinner
Connor
Orielly
Johansson
Couturier
Lee

And this is WITH his poopty season that was largely due to starting 3 months late and having a 6% shooting percentage. And if you look at history it suggests that shooting percentage will go up LARGLY.

Doesn't exclude your comment from being full of holes since 3 of the last 4 cup winning defenses have pretty much sucked with the exception of a #1 playmaking D-Man.

What passes for an SC calibre defense (I love Carolina and St. Louis as well for this) isn't the dominant factor for winning cups - because it is much harder to play strong defense *if* the interference and obstruction penalties are called. I think both styles have as much chance, really.
- Monkeypunk

Leafs 12th in goals against, 17th in PK, 8th in shots against, and that’s with a high possession rate and good face-off percentage. So last year they weren’t exactly a thrill defensively. Now they added two more offensemen.

Pittsburgh didn’t have big names but in 2015-16 they finished 6th in goals against, 5th in PK percentage. They allowed more shots but kept them to the outside.

The following year, in 2017 is the real outlier as they weren’t all that good defensively. Even in the playoffs they were kinda meh but found a way to win. But I wouldn’t put one year of Pittsburgh as my benchmark necessarily. That team had guys that had won multiple times over, award winners etc. Basically the best players in the league.

So I'm not making an all-or-nothing argument. I'm saying there isn't much to be excited about at the moment.

Anybody know where to rent a tiger in Toronto?

Legit question.
- TheMussel

A poopty zoo. What's it for? Maybe jungle cat world.

New faces = automatically amazing and therefore better.
- JohnFergusonJr

A poopty zoo. What's it for? Maybe jungle cat world.
- Aaron_85

Just need it to walk around a room a couple of times.

I guess renting one from a company that is ethical is probably too much to ask.

Just need it to walk around a room a couple of times.

I guess renting one from a company that is ethical is probably too much to ask.
- TheMussel

For what do you need it to walk around a room?

You need to find the place who would have this for movies and shows. Bow.anville zoo was probably the guy but they are gone now. Honestly, try jungle cat world.

Yes, that's a major problem for this team.

Leafs played scared at times and lacked the killer instinct to put the series away.

Toughness is more than hits and fights. It includes mental toughness. Sometimes it's about taking a hit to make a play, not necessarily throwing hits. And there's not enough of those guys willing to make those sacrifices.
- JohnFergusonJr

Oh bullpoop. Our best goal scorer should have played 3-5 minutes more in game 7 and that alone could have been the difference.

Oh bullpoop. Our best goal scorer should have played 3-5 minutes more in game 7 and that alone could have been the difference.
- RogerRoeper

What happened in game 6? On home ice?

We've discussed Wiily to death, how about a real important issue Lucas! How's the fishing been?



- winsix

Have no fear

What happened in game 6? On home ice?
- JohnFergusonJr

We had a winger on 1 leg taking repeated face offs against one of the best in NHL history. This occurred over and over again with no change.

Face it, this team has bad coaching. They are uber-talented and don't even put out the best lineup ever.

Bad coaching,. Gardiner and Andersen have cost the Leafs the past 2 years. it's not "Tuffnes".

It's insane in the 3rd period of game 7 we had our 4th line out so much and Matthews rotting on the bench. We spend BY FAR the most on analytics then employ an anti-analytics coach. He's not a fit.

Have Matthews play 24-26 minutes like Panarin and Mackinnon did for their teams this past Spring. WE are killing ourselves. Why the (frank) was Marleau playing so much when he was so useless?
It's funny, people say we are "Too Skilled" and too soft, yet the actually usage of our players is the opposite of that.

Say what you want about those "weaker" blueline teams but they are not the norm and the top end forwards in front of them are literally the best of this generation in Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin who could score themselves out of trouble.

Additionally, those "weaker" bluelines, still featured players that could effectively play the shutdown role, kill penalties and actually keep the puck out of the net, something the Leafs blueline hasn't proven it can do.

And finally, those teams also got incredible goaltending from Fleury, Murray and Holtby, all three better than Andersen.
- JohnFergusonJr

Food for thought. Matthews is better than all 3 of those guys in 5v5 goal production since entering the league. In almost 40-less games played...

That is a completely different topic. We're talking about getting rid of Nylander to bring back quality and heart. I do agree with your comments, although no so much the one about Freddy as I feel he was left out to dry, I would also add Babcock's inability to adapt his coaching as another factor. Rolling line after line is not coaching, even Santo_44 can do that. He style does not work this generation, they are very entitled and don't respond well to toughness. Just wait and see what happens this year with Matthews. If its true that he's already started to say he doesn't want to play with certain player, Kappy, what does that say about his leadership? And if Leafs management recognizes that fact, how big do you think his tantrum will be when he isn't given the "C"? Bad attitude is a killer in the room. Look at Eichel. He's a cancer...
- JDub76

That back-breaking laughable 1st goal Freddy let in in game 7 wasn't leaving him out to dry, it was him killing the team again in a game 7. There was absolutely no defensive issues there. That was his blunder 100%

I HATE Babcock line-matching so much. He basically let's the opposition decide his own matchups and doesn't play to the Leafs strenths. Taking that 1st PP unit off after 40 seconds is so stupid ( done for line-matching purposes).

Food for thought. Matthews is better than all 3 of those guys in 5v5 goal production since entering the league. In almost 40-less games played...
- Snowman X

I think Leafs without a doubt have better firepower and depth upfront than the last 2 Pens cups and Washington.

We can talk about Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin being better than any Leafs, but the depth the Leafs have on those 3 lines is the best in the NHL. And no more useless Patrick Marleau taking Kapenen and Johnsson's ice-time away.

Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, Johnsson, Kapanen Kerfoot, Hyman is fantastic, esopecially when you add Rielly and Barrie in the backend.

I think Leafs without a doubt have better firepower and depth upfront than the last 2 Pens cups and Washington.

We can talk about Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin being better than any Leafs, but the depth the Leafs have on those 3 lines is the best in the NHL. And no more useless Patrick Marleau taking Kapenen and Johnsson's ice-time away.

Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, Johnsson, Kapanen Kerfoot, Hyman is fantastic, esopecially when you add Rielly and Barrie in the backend.
- RogerRoeper

I completely agree. I think this season is going to yield a much different result. Probably a home-ice advantage in the playoffs type of season.