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William Nylander Opens Up on Relationship with Craig Berube

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Jackson Weber | Last updated Dec 2, 2025 1:03 PM ET

William Nylander is off to the best statistical start of his NHL career so far in 2025-26. That may seem complicated to believe given the ups and downs of the Toronto Maple Leafs and some of the negativity that’s surrounded the team, but Nylander has been productive through it all.

While his offensive game has helped keep the Maple Leafs afloat, his deficiencies have also come to light at times, resulting in some clashes with head coach Craig Berube both at practice and in games.

However, those tend to end with Nylander following it up by scoring or setting up a goal on the next shift, so perhaps Berube knows how to push the right buttons.

With so much talk about the two, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic recently went 1-on-1 with the superstar winger, who pulled back the curtain on the dynamic between him and his head coach.

Nylander said:

“Oh, it’s great… He’s very easy to talk to. It’s like any coach. Sometimes you butt heads, and you get into it now and then. But that’s different. That’s the hockey part. But he’s also just a regular person you can talk to about whatever,”

As mentioned, the 29-year-old has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season, having already racked up 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in just 21 games thus far.

The Maple Leafs Need William Nylander More Than Ever

Nylander has always been a focal point of the Maple Leafs and their success, but that’s gone to a whole other level with the departure of Mitch Marner.

The Swedish star is now the number one winger in Toronto, and the offense runs through his stick, especially when Auston Matthews is out of the lineup injured.

While the effort hasn’t always been there, and the defensive play has some ugly moments, Nylander’s offensive production is the best it’s ever been, and it’s exactly what the Maple Leafs have needed and will continue to need moving forward.

He’s not a perfect player, but we’ve always known that, so fans should just appreciate Nylander for what he does because it’s hard to imagine how much worse of a position this team would be without him.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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