The Maple Leafs held a practice at Ford Performance Centre on Friday before travelling to St. Louis ahead of Saturday’s game against the Blues.
—
Early in Friday’s practice, Leafs coach Craig Berube barked at his players to shoot more. William Nylander wanted to make it clear he received the message.
During his next rep in the next drill, the star winger took a pass and shot a puck past Joseph Woll. Nylander then skated toward Berube with his glove to his ear. He got right up to Berube and started smiling. The coach kept his gaze on the players doing the next rep before turning toward the 29-year-old smiling Swede to share a few words.
“It was just fun and games,” Nylander said with a grin. “He was yelling at guys to shoot it so then I shot it and I asked if he saw that I shot it. Yeah, it was good.”
During a media session before last Friday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Berube revealed he had been prodding Nylander to shoot more. Nylander registered four shots that night, but has been limited to just one in two of the last three games.
What did Nylander show Berube with his display at practice?
“That he’s not shooting enough,” Berube said before breaking into a smile.
“We’re having a little fun out there. It’s good, yeah.”
Nylander is only averaging 2.28 shots per game this season, which is down from his career average of 2.86.
Berube and Nylander, who leads the Leafs with 67 points this season, had a couple chats on the ice during Friday’s workout.
“We just speak normally about everything,” Nylander said when asked about the most unique conversation between the pair. “There’s nothing in particular that I would say is anything different.”
‘Fun and games’: Nylander makes it clear to Berube that he got the message on shooting more Early in Friday’s practice, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was instructing his players to shoot the puck and William Nylander responded by scoring a goal before cupping his year and skating towards his coach. It was all in good fun according to both parties.
—
After the trade deadline, Nylander admitted that it’s “really hard to stay optimistic” considering the Leafs situation. How is he dealing with it now?
“It has been really tough,” Nylander noted. “But now it’s been a little while where you’ve been able to digest it a little bit more and think about it so, I mean, it’s still an awful feeling.”
Nylander continues to produce, though, with four goals and nine points in 10 games since seeing teammates Scott Laughton, Bobby McMann and Nicolas Roy traded for draft picks.
“He’s really passionate, honestly,” said rookie winger Easton Cowan. “He’s always in the gym working hard. He’s biking hard after the game. Stuff like that, no one sees. He’s a really hard worker, and he is a leader on this team.”
Since captain Auston Matthews went down with a season-ending injury on March 12, Nylander has been wearing an ‘A’ for the team.
Nylander is playing his 10th full season in Toronto and this is the first time the Leafs will miss the playoffs. They sit 12 points out with nine games remaining.
“Obviously it’s not a great situation for anybody, and he’s not used to this situation for sure,” said Berube. “But, at the same time, he understands that we’ve still got games to play. We have to do a good job with competing and playing the right way.”
Lately the games have taken a backseat to questions about what went wrong for a team that finished first in the Atlantic Division last year and fancied itself a Stanley Cup contender.
“I have my thoughts about maybe some stuff,” Nylander said. “But, I mean, that’s something I’m going to keep to myself.”
‘Still an awful feeling’: Nylander keeping thoughts on Leafs collapse to himself The Maple Leafs’ collapse this season, which has seen them fall completely out of the playoff picture, has hit all players differently. William Nylander admitted it’s been tough, but wouldn’t elaborate on where things went wrong when reflecting on how it’s all played out.
—
Cowan appreciates Nylander’s ability to maintain focus despite playing in the intense spotlight in Toronto.
“He handles the highs and lows very well, so you try to use that to help yourself,” Cowan said. “Just teaches me a couple things, and that stuff goes a long way.”
Cowan, who is the team’s youngest player at 20-years-old, is proving to be a quick study.
“He’s kind of like a sponge,” goalie Anthony Stolarz observed. “He’s willing to absorb criticism. He’s willing to absorb praise, and he doesn’t really let it affect him.”
With the exception of a two-game stint in the American Hockey League in November, Cowan has spent the entire year with the Leafs.
“He’s a guy that impresses me with his routine,” Berube said. “He’s one of the first guys at the rink every day. Off days, I see him at the rink. I mean, he’s acting like a pro. He’s got a good attitude every day. Same attitude the whole year. I haven’t seen him come in and be down. Yeah, sure, he’s disappointed in maybe the way he’s played or the team or whatever, but he’s always got a real good attitude.”
The Leafs current situation has created more opportunity for Cowan, who has recently been promoted to the top line and top power-play unit. He logged more than 19 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the New York Rangers.
Cowan is averaging 16 minutes and seven seconds of ice time per game since the trade deadline, which is fifth among Leafs forwards.
“I definitely feel like I’m just getting better,” Cowan said. “My mindset the whole year is just keep getting better each day. That’s what you’ve got to do to have a long career, so just trying to get better each and every day. I felt like I had a good practice today, so I’m just going to use that to help me tomorrow.”
Like many young forwards who racked up points in junior hockey, Cowan is focused on improving in his own end.
What’s a priority right now?
“Just getting in the [shooting] lanes,” he said. “Even if the puck doesn’t hit you, if it misses the net, that’s a blocked shot. So just getting in the lanes and trying to have good defence, that will lead to the offence.”
—
Cowan quickly caught the eye of Blue Jays players Ernie Clement and George Springer, who were mic’d up while attending Wednesday’s game.
“Easton Cowan, that’s my guy,” Clement said.
“He’s like 12,” Springer said. “[He’s] not afraid.”
“He’s a grinder,” Clement added.
Cowan, who stands 6-foot, 190 pounds, impressed teammates by immediately confronting Nikita Zadorov on Tuesday night in Boston after the 6-foot-7, 255-pound Bruins blueliner knocked down John Tavares with an illegal hit.
“It takes a lot of balls to do that,” Stolarz said. “He’s obviously one of the heavier guys in the league and for ‘Cowboy’ just to kind of go in there without a second thought and be able to do that, I think that just goes to show you what kind of person he is, what kind of teammate he is, and everyone around the room is gonna appreciate that. And when something happens to him, he knows that we’re gonna have his back.”
Cowan and Zadorov are both alumni of the London Knights and actually lived with the same billet family during their days in the Ontario Hockey League. What did his billet parents have to say about what happened?
“They just kind of laughed about it,” Cowan said. “It was kind of funny.”
Knights general manager Mark Hunter also reached out via text.
“He just said, ‘Good job,’” Cowan revealed. “So that was kind of nice to hear that.”
Berube believes playing for coach Dale Hunter and his brother Mark in London has helped Cowan be ready for these types of moments.
“London obviously gets you ready for pros,” Cowan agreed. “So just that culture there, everyone plays for each other, so it definitely helps me out a lot.”
Cowan and other Leafs took heat following the game on March 12 because no one immediately confronted Radko Gudas after the Anaheim Ducks defenceman hurt Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit. Cowan vowed to learn from what happened and be better next time.
‘Takes a lot of balls’: Cowan confronting Zadorov is latest sign of Leafs rookie coming of age Easton Cowan got some feedback from his London Knights family following his response to Nikita Zadorov’s hit on John Tavares in Tuesday’s win over the Bruins. His swift decision to step up did not go unnoticed by his Leafs teammates.
—
Stolarz started slow this season with an .884 save percentage in his first 13 games in October and November.
“I was trying to be too perfect,” he said. “Just trying to go out there and make every save when that’s an unrealistic expectation, and just overthinking some things.”
Stolarz signed a four-year contract extension, which starts next season, during training camp. Did that create additional pressure?
“Not really,” the 32-year-old insisted. “I mean, it doesn’t matter how much you make … I think when you start thinking like that, you start getting your own head a little bit.”
Stolarz sustained a nerve-related injury on Nov. 12 and did not return until Jan. 23. The time away allowed him to start fresh in a way.
“When I came back, I was just able to just go out there and play, and play loose, play free.” he said.
Stolarz allowed nine goals in losing his first two starts after returning from the injury. Then, in his third game back, he stopped 34 of 36 shots to win in Edmonton right before the Olympic break.
Stolarz has posted a .919 save percentage in seven games since the season resumed.
“That long practice period that we had, just was able to kind of reset, focus on some things with [goalie coach] Curtis [Sanford] and obviously my body was feeling a lot better,” he said. “That Edmonton game right before was kind of the first time I ever felt like myself again. You start playing like that and, as a goalie, it’s all confidence, and you kind of just continue to roll with it.”
‘I was trying to be too perfect’: Stolarz finally feeling like his old self in Leafs net Since the return from the Olympic break, Anthony Stolarz has felt much better in net and he credited the extra practice time as the perfect opportunity to reset. The Maple Leafs’ netminder spoke about what he has learned from himself from the start of the season.
—
The Leafs sent Bo Groulx down to the AHL on Friday for roster-management purposes. If the 26-year-old centre had played one more game with the Leafs he would have required waivers to go back down to the Marlies. Toronto wants him to be available for the Calder Cup playoffs, but also doesn’t want to risk losing him on waivers.
Did Berube have a message for Groulx before he left?
“None needed,” the coach said. “He wanted to go down and help them and play. You know, that’s testament to his character and what he believes in and how it all works and he understands it. So, yeah, he’s good.”
Groulx made his mark after being called up by the Leafs producing five points in nine games.
“I used him in a lot of different situations and I thought he handled himself well,” Berube said.
Groulx, who leads the Marlies with 50 points in 54 games this season, could still rejoin the Leafs at some point this season, but it would have to be on an emergency recall in order to keep him waivers-exempt.
Leafs Ice Chips: After impressive audition, Groulx sent to AHL for roster management reasons Bo Groulx collected three goals and five points in nine games played for the Leafs since being called up but he will be going back down to the AHL, which head coach Craig Berube said came at his forward’s request. TSN’s Mark Masters has more on how roster management also played a role.
—
With two points in Boston, Nylander matched his father, Michael Nylander, with 679 career NHL points.
“I had no clue,” he said with a grin. “My sister [Jacqueline] told me, actually, at the game.”
Nylander’s sister was his guest on the team’s Mentors Trip.
“I got a puck from Boston so I gave it to him, the tying one,” Nylander said with a smile. “Hopefully we get a new one and I can give him the leading one.”
Nylander reached the total in 140 fewer games than his old man, who played 15 seasons in the NHL.
—
Lines at Friday’s practice:
Cowan – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – Domi – Robertson
Maccelli – Lorentz – Joshua
Pezzetta – Quillan – Jarnkrok
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – Stecher
Myers
Stolarz
Woll
Power play units at Friday’s practice:
QB: Ekman-Larsson
Flanks: Cowan, Nylander
Middle: Tavares
Net front: Knies
https://x.com/markhmasters/status/2037555938379329703
QB: Rielly
Flanks: Domi, Maccelli
Middle: Robertson
Net front: Joshua