Why William Nylander is the best player on the Toronto Maple Leafs

The last decade in Toronto Maple Leafs history has been the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner show, with the two of them sharing the spotlight even more than the core four did. However, that ends with the 2025–26 season, with opening night just under two weeks away, leaving fans ecstatic to see the new era of the Leafs. An era where William Nylander will no longer be a “passenger,” as Matthews put it after Game 7 against the Florida Panthers.

Willy number one?

Since I started writing about the Leafs, I’ve been very open about my opinion that Nylander is the Leafs best player and has been for years. He’s been the most consistent player out of the core four and actually shows up in the playoffs, which was always a major criticism that fans and the media would give Marner and Matthews.

Nylander signed an eight-year contract extension worth $11.5M per year at the beginning of the 2024–25 season, and it’s good through the 2031–32 season, which is hilarious when you remember Don Cherry’s rant when he was drafted in 2014. He’s certainly surpassed those expectations and then some. Last season, Nylander had a career high of 45 goals and 84 points, finishing second on the team in scoring only behind Marner. He hasn’t had fewer than 40 goals since the 2021–22 season. He’s come a long way since being labelled as a “career 20-goal guy” by Toronto media.

In the core four era, Nylander took the most team-friendly deal, especially when it comes to term. However, it doesn’t sound like it, considering he’s making $11.5M per year.

Entering this season, Nylander will be expected to produce even more than last season with Marner’s absence, and considering he’s the best player on the team, he will. Skill-wise, Nylander is up there with anybody in the entire league.

Why not Matthews

I know it’s bold of me to say that Nylander is better than a guy who’s consistently scored 60 goals in Auston Matthews. Some people will think I’m terribly wrong, and if anyone will break Alex Ovechkin’s goal record, it’ll be Matthews. I very possibly could be eating my words once the season starts.

It’s a common stereotype that European players, specifically Swedes, only want to make money, play for their country, and get out. It doesn’t seem to be that way with Nylander; it seems like he wants to be part of a winning culture in Toronto and wants to lead the Leafs to the promised land.

In the past, Matthews, Marner and Nylander have been a trio with Nylander being somewhat of a third wheel. However, with Marner gone, that will change. Now more of the offensive load will fall on Nylander.

In the past, Leafs players have received a ton of criticism for their playoff performances, even before the core four era. In 67 playoff games, Nylander has 26 goals and 58 points, which is more than Marner and one point less than Auston Matthews.

Looking ahead

Daily Faceoff has Nylander on a line with John Tavares andBobby McMann. That line is in need of an offensive facilitator, and with opposing top lines likely matching up against Matthews and Matthew Knies on the Leafs’ top line, that will give Nylander more freedom to put up a bunch of points this season. On top of that, he’ll get lots of power play time alongside Matthews, and they’ll both set each other up.

We’ll have to wait and see what the post-core four era will look like in Toronto. I think it will be one where William Nylander is the most dominant player on the Leafs. I know everybody has their opinions on Nylander, and he’s the kind of guy where either you love him or you hate him. Leaf fans are on both sides of the spectrum, as they are with most players. It’ll be interesting to see how Nylander performs this season and what direction the Leafs go with the new identity they’re building.