William Nylander's Quest For More Minutes Lies In The Hands Of Another Star Maple Leafs Player

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Chris Gerics
November 1, 2024 (1:54 PM)

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William Nylander has openly said he wants more ice time with the Maple Leafs and with a new report about an overworked Mitch Marner, he could find some extra reps.

With the report that William Nylander wants to earn himself more minutes, it's great to see the star forward step up and want to give Toronto every opportunity to win, whether it's offensively or defensively. He's very good defensively, and while he has some lapses here and there, so do all players; it doesn't define how good he is.

Wanting to be on the penalty kill more, Nylander wants to provide an extra spark while being short-handed and using his never-ending engine to disrupt opponents.

"PKing is fun. It's good to get in the game that way. I mean, if there's a lot of penalties & stuff like that. It will keep you going. Of course I miss PKing."

Head coach Craig Berube agrees with that sentiment, as he knows Nylander's capabilities on the defensive end:

"I have no problem with it We talk about it. He killed penalties last year. He's not on the penalty kill now, so that's some ice time he's missing. I try to get him out there, if deserved, as much as I can."

It's a good sign that if Nylander can avoid making any defensive errors and prove to Toronto he can do it all, then he'll have his time...

Or there is a much simpler option: Stop playing Mitch Marner so much.

A new report has come out courtesy of NHL insider Darren Dreger, as he states that Mitch Marner's camp is worried about the forward being overworked and playing too much, worrying they might play him into the ground and affect his upcoming contract.

Averaging over 21 minutes this season, Marner is certainly getting his time to make an impact, and he certainly is doing his best to earn a big contract. With 12 points already, Marner has been crucial to Toronto's turnaround alongside their new line of Max Pacioretty, John Tavares, and Nylander; but if his camp is too worried about overexertion, replace him with Nylander on the 2nd PK unit.

Marner has been good with Matthews on the PK but truthfully it doesn't negatively affect Toronto to throw a wildly motivated Nylander. He's here for the next eight years, he's going to be the face of the team alongside Auston Matthews, and Marner is not guaranteed to be back; it may be in their best interest to play their second-best player more and give Marner a break, at least defensively.

POLL
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs play William Nylander more and take away some of Marner's minutes?
▢ Yes, he deserves it!
▢ No, Marner has to be on the ice

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