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William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Nylander Gesture Under NHL Review, Reflects Maple Leafs’ Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Parsons | Last updated Jan 26, 2026 11:17 AM ET

William Nylander’s gesture on Saturday night lasted all of a second. The reaction to it will linger much longer, and fans are already reacting to what is being seen as a lack of the dynamic forward being able to read the room.

**Update: Chris Johnston reports, “The NHL is looking at this William Nylander incident, per sources. It’s possible the Leafs forward will face punishment for flipping the middle finger at the broadcast camera during today’s game.”

During the Leafs’ lifeless 4–1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the TSN broadcast briefly cut to the press box, where several injured Toronto players were watching the game. Realizing they were on camera, Nylander flipped the bird to everyone watching. Within minutes, the clip was everywhere.

Nylander later apologized on his Instagram story, calling it a “moment of frustration.” And taken at face value, that’s probably exactly what it was — an emotional slip in the middle of a bad night. These things happen. Players get annoyed. Cameras catch them. People regret their actions and hope that others can move on.

William Nylander has apologized for flipping the bird to the camera during today's @TSN_Sports broadcast of Leafs-Avs, calling it a "moment of frustration."

This is from Nylander's IG: pic.twitter.com/1A8DF2x3AV
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 26, 2026

Except with the Maple Leafs, it’s never quite that simple.

Fans Likely Won’t Drop This One Right Away

In Toronto, where everything is dissected and discussed, this one is going to garner some attention. Analysts and hosts will have a good 24 hours to formulate opinions, and Monday will be a full day of those same people discussing it.

At the end of the day, Nylander didn’t cross some unforgivable line. Was it inappropriate? Very much so. Was it ideal timing, considering it was the Next Gen game, and setting an example for kids might have been a touch more important on Sunday than most other days? Probably not. But what really has people up in arms is that the gesture felt like a perfect snapshot of the Leafs’ season so far.

This was a childish, immature thing to do, given that the fans don’t have much more patience.

This was a Sunday matchup against one of the NHL’s elite teams. It was a bit of a measuring stick, if you will. A struggling Leafs team had a chance to show they could hang with the best in the NHL, and they didn’t. The Maple Leafs came out flat. No jump. No edge. No real sense that the game mattered.

In some ways, you could argue the Maple Leafs were giving an f’u to the fans with their performance. Nylander just put a bow on it.

That won’t sit well.

How Much More Can and Will the Maple Leafs Disrespect the Fans?

For fans already worn down by inconsistency and poor play. Nylander, for as good as he can be, acts unimpacted by the criticism and aloof at the best of times. His flipping the bird felt symbolic. While a fan base that has tried to support the team and spent a lot of money attending games is hoping for a sign the club can turn things around, Nylander simply gives everyone the middle finger.

Nylander says he wasn’t trying to offend anyone. However, there aren’t many other ways to interpret the gesture besides being offended. Perception matters, especially in a market like Toronto, and especially during a stretch where patience is thinning by the game.

This is a team that hasn’t missed the playoffs in years, yet suddenly finds itself with a real shot to not get in. What fans don’t want is a star player who seems not to care. When the chips are down, Leafs Nation wants to see one of their best players positive, but grumpy because of the losing.

Nylander’s apology was the right move, but one will have to wonder if it really matters.