Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller just said William Nylander can play better than he has lately, according to David Alter.
The comment lands on a bad night in Toronto. The Leafs lost 6-3 to the Avalanche tonight, and they came in 8-9-2 and on a three-game losing streak.
Hiller didn't hide behind a vague answer, and he said Nylander would agree with the assessment if asked.
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He also spread the blame around. "I don't think it's just him," Hiller said, adding that he doesn't think Nylander's line "has been great" either.
Nylander's numbers coming into tonight were not the ones of a player in freefall: 11 goals and 11 assists in 19 games, with four of those goals on the power play. His rating was a -3, though, and that's where a coach's complaint usually lives, in the play away from the scoresheet.
This isn't the first time Hiller has pushed his winger publicly. We reported that Hiller's earlier message to William Nylander came last Wednesday, and the tone has hardly softened since.
A coach who calls out a 22-point player and his linemates in the same breath is telling the room that production alone won't settle this.
Is Nylander's line the real problem for Toronto?
Hiller's own words point there. He pinned the issue on the whole unit, not just the winger, and that matters for a team that has scored 64 goals and allowed 64 before tonight's game.
A line that isn't driving play drags down everything behind it. Toronto sits 21st in the NHL, and a star on the right wing who is not at his best is an easy place to start looking.
My read: a coach shouldn't have to say this twice in a week. If the line doesn't tighten up, expect a shuffle before the road gets any tougher, because nobody else on this roster has the track record to be protected the way Nylander has been.
Nylander also spoke after Saturday's loss, with Nylander's comments on Sergei Bobrovsky showing how the team has leaned on its goalie. Tonight's 6-3 result makes that harder to sustain.
The next test comes Thursday, when the Leafs host the Wild. Whether Hiller leaves the same line together is the question to watch.
Quick hits
MINNESOTA WILD: Kirill Kaprizov ended the Wild's overtime drought, scoring 18 seconds into the extra frame for a 2-1 win in Montreal. That's about as fast as a drought can end.
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MONTREAL CANADIENS: Cole Caufield took a slashing penalty with 53 seconds left in regulation, and it cost the Canadiens in that 2-1 overtime loss. Habs fans are not happy.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Cole Hutson scored his first career overtime goal, and the Capitals beat the Senators 3-2 in Ottawa. A very good night for the young defenseman.
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FLORIDA PANTHERS: Sam Reinhart's empty-net goal in Columbus was his 199th with the Panthers, second all-time in franchise history. The next one is not far away.
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NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Juuse Saros starts for the Predators in Los Angeles tonight against Anton Forsberg. Nashville is going with its number one.
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This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Should Jim Hiller break up William Nylander's line after this latest public criticism?
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