William Nylander says he isn't worried about the criticism, with the Maple Leafs riding a four-game losing streak.
The noise got louder last night. Toronto lost 6-3 to the Avalanche, and Nylander finished without a point, a -4 rating and no shots on goal in 15:54 of ice time.
Leafslatest passed along what Nylander said about it, and the line that stands out is about the trade talk that has followed him around for years: "I mean, I've been here for 10 years. People have been saying I'm going to get traded for the majority of that time, so it is what it is."
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That comes a day after coach Jim Hiller said Nylander can play better than he has lately, as David Alter reported on Hiller's message to Nylander. Public pressure from the bench, then a shrug from the player. Nobody in that exchange sounds rattled.
The trade chatter itself is nothing new, and it keeps finding fresh fuel. A fan-made proposal sending him and Morgan Rielly to Detroit had people arguing on Tuesday. It is a fan exercise, nothing more, but it shows how quickly a slump turns into a trade conversation.
Look at the production before you buy into the panic. Nylander has 11 goals and 11 assists in 20 games, including four power-play goals and four power-play assists. The -7 is the number that stings.
Is Nylander really the problem in Toronto?
Not the way this team is being scored on. The Maple Leafs are 8-10-2, 23rd in the NHL and seventh in the Atlantic Division, with 67 goals for and 70 against.
Last night Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 27 shots, and Colorado got goals from Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson and Devon Toews. Easton Cowan and Darren Raddysh each had two points for Toronto. Nylander's quiet night is easy to point at, but the defensive breakdowns cost more games than a winger's off night.
Blaming one player for a 4-6 stretch over the last 10 games is the lazy read, and the slump has already sparked a Chayka theory around Nylander in fan circles. The team that Chayka built has a -3 goal differential. That is the number worth worrying about.
Nylander and the Leafs get a chance to answer on Thursday, when they host the Minnesota Wild.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Should the Maple Leafs finally trade William Nylander if the losing streak reaches five?
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