Could William Nylander be entering ''untouchable'' status for the Leafs?
Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander has really evolved over the course of the last few seasons following his infamous RFA hold-out through the summer and, subsequently,the fall of the 2018-19 season.
Nylander finally signed his 6-year, $45M deal on December 1st, 2018 - just moments before the deadline to sign, which would have forced him to miss the entire season had he not put pen to paper by the time the deadline had expired.
The Stockholm, Sweden native ended up suiting up in 54 games of the Leafs that season, posting a career-low of just a half-point per game, finishing the season with just 7 goals and 27 points.
Nylander looked disengaged for much of the season, lacking the attention to detail and effort level that saw him register 61 points in 82 games just one season prior.
After seeing his name in just about every Leafs trade rumour the following summer, Nylander did his best to lay low and fly under the radar in the offseason and work on the things he could control - the finer points of his game and his strength and conditioning.
What came next was a career-best 59 points in 68 games in a pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, wherein Nylander had shown extensive growth in his overall game, moving away from a perimeter game and forcing his way to the net on a more frequent basis. He was handsomely rewarded for this with a 31-goal season.
In 2020-21, Nylander continued to trend in the right direction, posting 42 points in 51 games during the regular season and leading his team in scoring in the playoffs with 8 points in 7 games against an eventual Stanley Cup Finalist Montreal Canadiens team.
Nylander is now entering new territory for the Leafs, as a new fan-favourite - which he has most certainly earned with his stellar play during the postseason and even now during a torrid start to the regular season. The 25-year-old is playing some sensational hockey, leading the NHL in shots, slot slots and expected goals through 4 games.
Nylander has registered 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points on the season, leading the Leafs in scoring and taking some of the burden off of the team's top line and providing excellent production in support of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and John Tavares - who are all yet to find the back of the net this season.
If Nylander can turn his hot start into a career year, he could be quickly approaching "untouchable" status in Toronto - a title which maybe only Auston Matthews currently holds.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||