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William Nylander's comments suggest the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a very dark place


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Alexander Cole
December 22, 2025  (8:37)
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Dec 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (55) and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) chase the puck during the first period at the American Airlines Center.
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is currently in a major slump, and a loss to the Dallas Stars has left him incredibly demoralized.

William Nylander is one of the best players on the Toronto Maple Leafs; however, over the past few weeks, he has not been able to show that.
In the last three games, Nylander has had a grand total of zero points. The forward has not been putting in an effort, and he looks like a guy who wants to get his head coach fired.
Things are simply not going well for this franchise right now, and there is a whole lot of doom and gloom. This is especially true after a 5-1 loss against the Dallas Stars.

William Nylander does not feel good

After the game, Nylander spoke to the media, and his comments were quite haunting. He spoke about how he's not in a great place, and that his feelings are actually quite foreign to him.
I don't know if I've felt like this before.
At this point, it feels as though the Leafs simply aren't experiencing any joy when playing the game of hockey anymore, which is certainly a big problem.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' superstars are failing

Perhaps the biggest issue with the Leafs right now is that over the course of their most recent road trip, the team's highest-paid players mostly failed to register any points.
The only one who got something done was John Tavares, who had a goal on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. Meanwhile, the Leafs were shut out entirely against the Washington Capitals.
Maple Leafs' five highest-paid forwards on 0-3 road trip

Auston Matthews: minus-7, 0 points
William Nylander: minus-7, 0 points
Matthew Knies: minus-5, 0 points
John Tavares: minus-5, 1 goal, 0 assists
Max Domi: minus-1, 0 points, 1 scratch
The Leafs are in dire straits right now, and the only way they can dig themselves out of this hole is by winning. Unfortunately, they do not appear to have the motivation right now.
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DECEMBRE 22   |   818 ANSWERS
William Nylander's comments suggest the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a very dark place

Do you believe William Nylander is the current problem with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

YES31438.4 %
NO50461.6 %
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