BOSTON — At this point, it’s easier to determine the factors that didn’t lead to William Nylander’s mystery injury than those that did.
Speaking with multiple sources informed on the situation, rumor has it that the Toronto Maple Leafs winger suffered no major issues during the final stretch of the regular season in which he produced no production. just four points (all assists) in 11 games, finishing less than the 100-point mark with 98.
It is also said that the problem did not arise as a result of an off-ice incident, such as a two-touch football game gone wrong or any other conspiracy theory that might be circulating.
Still, there isn’t much clarity, either officially or unofficially, about what happened.
If he was able to play all 82 regular season games, including a long stint that bled into the final minute of Wednesday’s finale in Tampa, and there were no incidents outside ice, what forced him to sit out Game 1 of the playoffs against the Boston Bruins on Saturday?
According to sources, he woke up with a problem that needed attention on Thursday morning and remained “pretty stiff” when the show began more than 48 hours later. There is no evidence that Nylander even came to TD Garden on game day, as he was not spotted getting off any of the team buses in the morning or late afternoon .
Luckily for the Leafs, Nylander was spotted at Warrior Ice Arena on Sunday. He was the first player to take the ice – as he is wont to do – before a 1:30 p.m. practice featuring Game 1 outs: Noah Gregor, TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, Conor Timmins, l prospect Cade Webber and goaltenders Martin Jones and Joseph. Woll.
It was shortly after teammate Jake McCabe told reporters at the team hotel that Nylander “seemed to be in a good mood today” but that there wasn’t much joy in find in the work he did inside the Bruins practice rink.
Nylander seemed to be working, especially early in the session, and completely missed a few shot attempts while the ice cap was still freshly resurfaced. He did not move with his normal fluidity and frequently hunched over when he grouped himself along the boards between exercises. He had Giordano give him passes for receiving practice and went through a series of puck touching drills under the supervision of assistant coaches Manny Malhotra and Dean Chynoweth.
It was the first time Nylander was spotted on the ice since the buzzer sounded during Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Lightning. He accompanied his teammates to the practice rink Friday, but did not skate alongside them. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, “(General manager Brad Treliving) made it very clear to me that there would be no daily injury updates or anything like that. . .”
Keefe held firm to that decree, responding twice Sunday to Nylander-related questions by saying, “No updates on Willy.”
It’s unclear yet whether Nylander will feel flexible enough to return for Game 2 on Monday night. How his body responds to Sunday training is crucial.
It would seem to be an encouraging sign that he lasted longer than any of his teammates while remaining out for 56 minutes. He seemed to become more comfortable and relaxed as the session progressed. Nylander finished the job by taking a series of breakaways from Woll and raised his fist in celebration after scoring on his final attempt.
Bringing him back into the lineup would be a big boost after a 5-1 loss to Boston in Game 1, with the Leafs struggling to cleanly cross the neutral zone and establish a sustained offensive attack. Nylander is an elite puck carrier who often gets to the blue line with ease.
“Willy does so many great things for us,” McCabe said. “Obviously he can create on his own, frankly, and seemingly from nothing. He is a threat all over the ice offensively for us and he kills penalties for us too.
He’s also not a player the Leafs have had to get used to playing without. Saturday’s game was only the second he missed due to injury in 653 career NHL games, and the first since November 2016.
He is expected to be ready to play at some point during this series, per sources, but any additional games he could potentially miss would be a major blow to the Leafs.
Nylander is known for elevating his game during the playoffs and this looks like a series where they will need all the big dogs pulling the rope. Nylander is also coming off the best year of his career – a year where he was counted on to personally take on a heavier load.
And after being a mainstay all year, it can’t be fun to be on the outside of this series.
(Photo by William Nylander and Luke Hughes: Elsa / Getty Images)