{"id":157735,"date":"2025-09-20T20:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T20:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/157735\/"},"modified":"2025-09-20T20:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T20:22:08","slug":"berube-hoping-nylander-takes-on-greater-leadership-role-for-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/157735\/","title":{"rendered":"Berube hoping Nylander takes on greater leadership role for Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014\u00a0Amid the chaos that\u2019s surrounded the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> for the past half-decade\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the playoff collapses, the ousted coaches and general managers and team presidents, the departing stars \u2014 one thing\u2019s remained constant: the steady evolution of William Nylander<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once the most maligned member of Toronto\u2019s young, high-flying core, No. 88 enters the 2025-26 campaign fresh off finishing second in the Rocket Richard race, last season marking the fourth in a row in which the winger\u2019s posted a new career-high in either goals or points.\u00a0And while the post-season\u2019s been accurately pegged as something of an Achilles\u2019 heel for these Maple Leafs, over the past half-decade Nylander\u2019s been Toronto\u2019s best bet when the stakes are highest \u2014\u00a0the 29-year-old has amassed the most goals and points of any Leaf in that span, overall and at even-strength.<\/p>\n

Now, heading into a new season with the identity of his team in flux \u2014\u00a0a slew of new faces entering the lineup, and top-line mainstay Mitch Marner out of the picture \u2014\u00a0head coach Craig Berube is hoping his star winger takes another step in his continued evolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a great year. We want him to have another great year obviously, production-wise. We need him to score goals and we need him to do the things that he does with his skill. For me, I think he can take a bigger step in a leadership role,\u201d Berube said Saturday, standing outside the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, Ont., after the Maple Leafs wrapped up their third day of training camp. \u201cHe\u2019s been a player for a long time on this team. He\u2019s been around these guys. We lost a player, so in my opinion Willy can step up and take a little bit of a bigger leadership role here.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, step it up in the dressing room, on the bench. Just the voice, more than anything, for me. Leading with playing the right way. \u2026 Taking care of your teammates, helping them out in situations. Maybe they need a little kick in the ass. That\u2019s all leadership for me. That\u2019s what leadership\u2019s about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Berube\u2019s shown an affinity for Nylander since taking the reins last summer, giving the mercurial winger the space to express the dynamic, creative aspects of his game out on the sheet, even if it means leaning too much on his all-world skill at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a highly skilled player. He\u2019s always been that, and he\u2019s always done certain things a certain way. That habit takes time to change. But for me, he bought in,\u201d Berube said of Nylander. \u201cAnd I believe he\u2019s still bought in. Now, is he going to be perfect? No, he\u2019s going to try things at times that maybe we don\u2019t want him to. But like I\u2019ve said before, I don\u2019t want to take the stick right out of his hand either.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Tavares<\/a> understands the complexities of Nylander\u2019s game better than most, the veteran centreman having spent plenty of time with the smooth-skating Swede on his wing. The pair figure to spend plenty of time together this season, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a game-breaker. He\u2019s a special player and we\u2019re lucky to have him. I think, like any player, there\u2019s evolution and growth, development, adversity, success along the way, and continuing to mature,\u201d Tavares said. \u201cI think you can consistently see that in Willy\u2019s game. Not just on the ice, but the leadership aspects off the ice and the impact he\u2019s making, in a lot of areas that not all of you see, is tremendous. His drive to be a great player, to be a difference-maker on a nightly basis, is as good as any player I\u2019ve seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we push each other really well. It\u2019s a very close and healthy relationship. \u2026 We\u2019re not shy to get on each other. It\u2019s a great part of him \u2014\u00a0his ability to know when he hasn\u2019t done his best, or there\u2019s an area of his game that he\u2019s got to be better at. To be able to have that dialogue and that understanding, and be able to thrive off that. That\u2019s why I’ve always said I think he\u2019s a great fit to play in a market like Toronto.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a crucial relationship heading into the new season, in their head coach\u2019s eyes. With Marner gone, and Auston Matthews<\/a> navigating a return to form following an injury-plagued 2024-25, the Maple Leafs will need even more from Nylander this season, on and off the ice. And when it comes to the latter, there may be no better mentor for No. 88 than the centreman who will be hopping over the boards with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a guy that sees everything. Talk about leadership \u2014 he\u2019s a guy that takes care of his teammates,\u201d Berube said of Tavares. \u201cHe knows what\u2019s going on with a lot of the players, so he\u2019s a guy that I lean on for sure, and have conversations with about this, that, what\u2019s going on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a good feel for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Robertson shines as Saturday scrimmage hero<\/p>\n

The third day of camp saw the Maple Leafs take the ice for a Saturday-morning scrimmage, with Matthews and Nylander each leading a\u00a0group into the tilt.<\/p>\n

It was a fairly quiet one overall, the roster regulars more concerned with getting their timing back than trying to put pucks in the net. The session did bring some flashes of promise from newcomer Matias Maccelli, who lined up alongside Matthews and Matthew Knies in Marner\u2019s former top-line spot, and some noticeable moments from Dakota Joshua too.<\/p>\n

Nicolas Roy, Toronto\u2019s other off-season acquisition, sat out the scrimmage while navigating a minor injury, as did defender Simon Benoit. Max Domi remains sidelined as well, though Berube said he expects the winger to be back on the ice Sunday.<\/p>\n

The undeniable star of the Saturday session, though, was winger Nick Robertson, who broke the deadlock with a determined breakaway tally in the scrimmage\u2019s final minutes, before registering the game\u2019s only other goal with an empty-netter soon after.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good, it was fun. I was happy to get in the scrimmage there and just be with the guys,\u201d Robertson said after the skate. \u201cIt was good to just break off the rust before pre-season starts. \u2026 You\u2019re just getting back in the flow of things. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s too much pressure or expectations \u2014\u00a0just go out there and work hard, get back in the flow of the game, get chemistry with your linemates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning to Toronto on a one-year, $1.83-million deal this season, Robertson heads into the new campaign with much the same mindset he took into the last one.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same thing \u2014\u00a0just work hard,\u201d the winger said. \u201cIt\u2019s just execution on my end. I just want to work hard and do what I can to prove myself again. Just not overthink anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs\u2019 young roster hopeful, Easton Cowan, had some moments of his own during Saturday\u2019s scrimmage, using his speed to hound the opposition in the offensive zone, and looking focused on taking a more straightforward approach to these camp sessions overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just seems a lot more comfortable, I think, in what every day is going to bring,\u201d Tavares said of what he\u2019s seen from the 20-year-old during camp so far. \u201cA much better understanding of just what training camp\u2019s all about, of playing at the NHL level, and what the standard is, what the expectations are. Not trying to do too much, but just naturally let his talent and skill-set come out through his work ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looks bigger,\u201d added Morgan Rielly. \u201cI think for him, there\u2019s no doubting what he\u2019s capable of \u2014\u00a0he\u2019s put that on display. Making the jump is challenging, no matter who you are. So as a teammate, you want to support him, and help everyone as we get going here. The guys that are trying to make the jump up to the next level, that can be nerve-wracking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s challenging for everyone. We just want to create an environment where people can be themselves, be their best, and just go out there and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014\u00a0Amid the chaos that\u2019s surrounded the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past half-decade\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the playoff collapses, the ousted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157736,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-157735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}