Speaking about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff woes, NHL insider Chris Johnston noted on his podcast this week that audio likely exists of the bench argument between William Nylander and teammates Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. The footage is all over the Internet of Nylander barking at his teammate, even though all parties say everything is fine and the bickering was typical stuff teammates do when trying to get the best out of each other.
Most insiders think the Leafs will do whatever they can to bury that audio. I say, let it get out there.
The Leafs are down 3-1 in their series with the Boston Bruins and the narrative surrounding the core group of Maple Leafs stars is that they might not be on the same page. Marner and Nylander were seen laughing at practice on Monday, so this is all likely water under the bridge, but it hasn’t changed the fact the team needs their stars to show up, be on the same page, and avoid elimination. If they can’t changes to the core might be made over the summer.
Even if the team ultimately splits this summer, there’s no harm in proving that these guys are emotional, care about the success of the team, and hold each other to high standards. In fact, it would be good to have that proof out there.
What Was Said Between the Leafs Stars?
Most fans who saw the footage think Nylander yelled:“Stop f------ crying.” Others believe he added, “This isn’t junior.” or “Just f------ shoot!” Either way, Nylander was on his teammate’s case and he wasn’t the only one. Fans have been pretty hard on Marner since that loss and the dynamic forward needs to turn things around to get back on the good side of a big chunk of Leafs Nation.
Marner talked about the argument with the media. He didn’t reveal what was said but noted that they don’t yell like that because they hate each other. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said the talking or arguing was a good sign. He believes it meant that they care and that, in the past, these guys might have held it in. He didn’t comment on what was said, only that “I look at it as progress and those guys care.”
It sounds like both statements were accurate because Marner and Nylander were all good on Monday.
The Maple Leafs Should Release The Audio
The best plan might be to share the audio. On the surface, it sounds like a terrible idea, but it might be beneficial. Barring something getting caught on the mic that would really make one of the players look bad — that would be an entirely different conversation about what’s OK to say and what isn’t — proving the Leafs’ stars care would squash any narrative they don’t.
Johnston noted, “The interesting part about that bickering Julian, is that William Nylander was wearing a microphone on this night.” He added:
“I think it’s fair to assume given the sensitivity around that conversation that we’ll never hear that audio, but my goodness, what would that be worth if you could? I mean, you can read his lips enough that you have a pretty good idea of what he was saying, but wouldn’t you actually like to hear him say it? You might actually hear a little bit more about what else was being said back. I have a reasonable idea of what Nylander was saying but I don’t know exactly what precipitated it…”
Why not let the fan base in? Clearly, if these guys are OK now and have moved on, there’s nothing too damning on there. If everyone is trying to get on the same page, this audio might be the one way to air the issues and let everyone move on. The fans would be eager to know the details of the exchange and there would be an emotional connection to the player(s) that doesn’t seem to be there right now.
As is, it seems to be Marner against the world. Maybe this audio brings with it some sympathy for a player who is being talked about like he doesn’t care, but he probably really does.
More must-reads: