William Nylander completely dominated the IIHF World Championships, that much is clear just from stats and facts alone. In only eight games played for the Swedish National Team, Nylander earned the tournament leads in points (18), assists (13), face-offs (77.73%), and plus-minus (+16). He broke the all-time record for most points a Swedish player has earned in a single World Championships, surpassing Nils Nilsson’s 17 point record. Earning two Player of the Game awards, Nylander was also one of the three forwards named to the 2019 Worlds All-Star Team.
But despite his accomplishments, the real question lies in how relevant Nylander’s success on the international stage really matters in the context of his NHL career. While his performance at Worlds doesn’t excuse his previous season nor give a clear indicator for success in the next, there are plenty of things that preview what’s next for Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Role
With Sweden, Nylander had a clear role on the team and on his line from the very beginning. His job and the expectations of it were consistent in every game and on every single shift. Winging the top line alongside Alexander Wennberg and Patric Hornqvist, Nylander focused on getting pucks to the net and scoring. His linemates gave him space and opportunities he needed in order to play his game and the results were there.
Nylander’s role with the Leafs is much of the same, to make plays and create scoring chances. However, with his late start last season, he joined a team that was already in full swing and had defined roles. Fitting him into his old spot proved to be more difficult than expected when his traditional linemates had already been shuffled and redefined in the lineup. With a fresh start in the fall, Nylander will be more equipped to establish a clear role on the roster with certainty of what he is supposed to do for the Leafs. If it works out in the same way it did in his international performance, the numbers will easily follow.
Left Wing
Most notably, Nylander played the majority of the tournament on left wing. He played it comfortably and played it well. In his time within the Leafs organization, Nylander has rarely strayed from the right side or center position. This limited his mobility in the lineup. In Nylander’s absence from the beginning of the season, Auston Matthews and Kasperi Kapanen quickly found success together, which made it difficult to reunite Nylander with Matthews upon his return.
This issue came up again in the playoffs following Nazem Kadri’s suspension. With a hole on 3C, Nylander was locked into the spot on a scraped-together line between a then-struggling Patrick Marleau and Connor Brown. The chemistry just wasn’t there and Nylander’s performance significantly suffered.
Now with an entire tournament successfully playing left wing under his belt; the Leafs have a lot more flexibility in line combinations. I expect to see more experimentation in where Nylander slots up once the season begins. Assuming Kapanen is still in Toronto in the fall, perhaps Babcock will finally play the much anticipated Nylander-Matthews-Kapanen combination. The versatility will allow more opportunities for Nylander to get on the top scoring lines and generate more scoring chances.
Confidence
After all of the drama of Nylander’s contract negotiations and a year of being the number one controversial hot topic of the Leafs; has led to a successful international tournament. This was the absolute best way to refresh and reset Nylander for the fall. Getting out of Toronto and finding success without all of the pressure should be nothing but good for him. It allows Nylander to come back and start the season with a clear head. This also means without the full weight of his unremarkable season.
With a fresh slate and the reassurance he is still able to accomplish record-breaking hockey in some form. Nylander’s success in the tournament lays a strong foundation for him to start the season on a good note.
Leafs fans should look forward to seeing more of the William Nylander. They were familiar with in his pre-negotiation seasons. With a fresh start and a few new tricks up his sleeve, Nylander will come back stronger than ever.
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