It is often said that William Nylander lives on his own planet.
asserted
Nylander → say → planet
Question: Will gravity pull him back down to earth in his 12th season as a Maple Leaf?
asserted
gravity → pull → Leaf
A situation of gravitas can describe a team facing the absolute imperative of returning to the playoffs after finishing eighth in the Atlantic Division last spring and excluded from the post-season dance for only the second time in Nylander’s career.
asserted
situation → describe → career
The first time was in 2015-16, when he was a 19-year-old rookie, beamed up to the mothership with less than two months left on the schedule.
asserted
he → beam → schedule
But along with Auston Matthews, who debuted in Toronto the next season, Nylander has been a crucial component on this team ever since, leading the Leafs in points — 30 goals, 49 assists — last year despite missing 17 games due to injury.
asserted
Nylander → debut → injury
The post-season disappointments, which included some spectacular Game 7 collapses, won’t be rehashed here.
asserted
which → include → collapses
So that cross is also his to bear.
asserted
cross → bear → ?
Rightly or wrongly, Nylander has always done it his way, no matter how much a string of coaches has tried to reinvent him: Always offense-first inclined, notably hanging around the neutral zone for a stretch pass and signature breakaway flight; lazy and lolling on the backcheck, defensively disinterested.
asserted
string → do → backcheck
Mike Babcock tried tough-love by benching Nylander punitively.
asserted
Babcock → try → Nylander
Sheldon Keefe took a push-pull approach, attempting to balance the player’s creativity with game-to-game consistency.
asserted
Keefe → take → consistency
Craig Berube concluded the optimal strategy was to let Nylander “do his thing.”
asserted
Nylander → conclude → thing
All of it — chastising, criticism, retribution — has rolled off his back.
asserted
chastising → roll → back
Teammates have characterized him as “his own cat.”
asserted
Teammates → characterize → cat
Take what he brings and disregard the rest.
asserted
he → take → rest
He’s known Nylander the Younger since Willy was a rink rat munchkin.
asserted
Willy → know → Nylander
He rejects the suggestion that Nylander is difficult or exasperating to coach.
asserted
Nylander → reject → suggestion
“It’s easy to be judgmental about players.
asserted
It → ’ → players
Everybody has certain things they’re not as good at as other areas of their game.
asserted
they → have → game
Literally, there’s not a player in the world that is perfect in all aspects.
asserted
that → ’ → aspects
Willy has gone from being a young, promising player with talent all the way up to now being a mature 30-year-old with talent.
asserted
Willy → go → talent
He’s not a kid anymore.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
“His father was one of the hardest-working guys in my generation in terms of how he prepared.
asserted
he → work → terms
Most fans don’t realize how much work he puts in, on and off the ice.”
asserted
he → realize → ice
The closest Sundin comes to quibbling about Nylander’s defensive deficiencies is to remind that compelling offence shouldn’t cancel out or excuse lollygagging on the defensive side of the puck.
asserted
offence → come → puck
“If the Leafs are going to be successful, everybody has to buy into, what can I do?
asserted
I → go → what
You have to be able to keep two thoughts in your head at the same time.”
asserted
You → have → time
The new coach was a defence-first tactician in L.A., but he’ll be expected to untap the Leafs’ offensive talent.
asserted
he → expect → talent
The new coach was a defence-first tactician in L.A., but he’ll be expected to untap the Leafs’ offensive talent.
asserted
he → expect → talent
When Nylander looks around the dressing room, scrutinizes the composition of this extensively altered roster, he very much understands that he’s now a Leaf veteran, long removed from salad days in the NHL.
asserted
he → look → NHL
“I think I’ve just grown a little bit more as a person.”
asserted
I → think → person
He’s eager to take on more of a leadership role within the group.
asserted
He → ’ → group
“Getting older, it comes naturally to be more vocal.
asserted
it → get → ?
It’s not like I’m talking every moment of every intermission, but I am talking more.”
asserted
I → ’ → intermission
What Nylander sees as promising — right in his wheelhouse — is a new coach in Jim Hiller whose system is more simpatico with his freewheeling instincts.
asserted
system → see → instincts
“You try to be effective in every kind of system.”
asserted
You → try → system
But he agrees this system should benefit his game.
asserted
system → agree → game
“So far I like it a lot.
asserted
I → like → it
The system is faster-paced for us.
asserted
system → pace → us
Certainly it harmonizes with his superior skills of speed, elegant skating and visionary playmaking.
asserted
it → harmonize → speed
At training camp, he’s been playing on a second line with John Tavares and to-drool-for gifted rookie Gavin McKenna, just 18 as the curtain rises Tuesday on his NHL career.
asserted
curtain → play → career
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
