Analyst Says William Nylander Leaving Would Be Best for the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been the subject of major scrutiny in recent days, and no one has been in the crosshairs more than William Nylander.

After watching his captain and teammate of 10 seasons, Auston Matthews, take a vicious knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas, Nylander raised his hand for a penalty before gliding away without response. He said postgame that he didn’t see the play, and a few days later didn’t take much issue with the length of the suspension either — seemingly the only Maple Leaf not to push back on the play.

Nylander has always been this way, and everyone knows that, but some are sick and tired of it — including Sid Seixeiro, who believes it’s long overdue to get the superstar winger out of Toronto.

Seixeiro said:

“This is a problem. This guy makes no sense. And he cherry-picks and floats. That’s the teammate, that’s $11.5 million a year, that’s what this guy’s about. Runs off the ice, on the ice, give me my breakaway, and by the way, lately, not even scoring on those. Good job, Willy, Willy being Willy, Willy being Willy. There’s a lot of people in Leafs Nation who love to say the media ran this person out of town and that person out of town. Let me tell you something right now: if anyone one day blames me for running William Nylander out of town, it will be a badge of honor to me. And it will be the best thing to ever happen to this organization. This guy’s a clown, and I’ve had enough. He can’t even defend Matthews off the ice, take the fine and man up — that’s ridiculous,”

The 29-year-old Nylander is in year two of the eight-year, $92 million extension he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2024, which includes a full no-movement clause throughout the deal. He leads the team in scoring this season with 63 points (23 goals, 40 assists) produced across just 51 games played.

Nylander’s laid-back attitude has often been seen as a positive, allowing him to handle the pressure that comes with playing in Toronto. However, in moments like this, it’s certainly not a good look.

Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman said that nobody on the ice sticking up for Matthews in the slightest after the hit will have major ramifications on the future construction of the Maple Leafs. With that in mind, it’s impossible not to look at Nylander and Morgan Rielly — though especially the former, given Rielly took full responsibility immediately after the game.

The talent is undeniable with Nylander, and any other team in the league would be eager to add him to their lineup. It won’t be easy for Toronto to part ways with that, but the experiment with this core group hasn’t worked. As a result, what happened late in the second period on Thursday against Anaheim might have been the final straw for Nylander and Matthews, leading the charge together as Maple Leafs.

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