Maple Leafs nearly made disastrous mistake before win

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander. James Guillory-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs nearly made disastrous roster mistake before series-clinching win

By Adam Gretz | Last updated May 2, 2025 12:42 AM ET

There is no team in the Stanley Cup playoffs facing more pressure than the Toronto Maple Leafs. That pressure appeared to get to their coaching staff before Game 6 of their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

That was when the Maple Leafs submitted a lineup card to the officials that included No. 92 Alex Nylander as one of the active forwards, and No. 88 William Nylander as a scratch.

Given that Nylander is one of the Maple Leafs' best — and most important — players there is no chance they were making that sort of lineup change. And they were not intending to. It was a mistake that was fortunately caught in time during warmups when William was on the ice instead of Alex.

“It could have been disastrous for Toronto.”@FriedgeHNIC and the panel discuss a lineup mistake switching the Nylander brothers, which could have led to William Nylander being removed from the game. pic.twitter.com/8hGQPu0qTG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 2, 2025

Had the mistake not been corrected on the lineup sheet, and had (William) Nylander been in uniform on the bench when the puck was dropped, he would have been immediately removed from the game. That would have forced the Maple Leafs to play a forward short during what is, to this point, the biggest game of the season.

Nylander ended up scoring a goal early in the second period and another in the third as the Maple Leafs went on to eliminate the Senators, 4-2, and move on to the next round.

It is an honest mistake, especially with brothers on the roster. But it is still difficult to comprehend how that could happen in a game of this magnitude with a player of that importance.

Fortunately for Nylander and the Maple Leafs, somebody caught it just before it was too late. Had it not been caught, it would have been another unbelievable chapter in the Maple Leafs' frustrating playoff history.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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