Craig Berube makes a point of trying to have a chat with William Nylander every day.
The Maple Leafs coach, though, isn’t necessarily attempting to get a firmer grasp on what makes the uber-talented Leafs winger tick.
When asked by the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons on Monday morning about trying to figure out who and what Nylander is, Berube chuckled, quipped “that’s a tough question” and then launched into an insightful answer.
“I’m not trying to figure him out, I’m trying to hear him out, more than anything,” Berube said. “I have a lot of conversations with Willie, which I enjoy, he’s a great guy to talk to and to listen to.
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“I think more than anything, I always want Willie to open up to me and tell me what he’s feeling and what he thinks about the game and what we can do better and things like that. He has a lot of great ideas.
“Now, I may not agree with them all, but I want to hear them because there is something there that I might learn.”
There’s no arguing with Nylander’s hockey talent. The issue, if we can call it that, is the tendency every so often on the part of Nylander to fade and have little impact.
Nylander had one point, a goal, in seven games before helping lead the way in victories against New Jersey and Montreal. Heading into the game on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nylander was 25th in NHL scoring with 48 points in 47 games.
After recording a career-high 98 points in 82 games last season, Nylander is on pace for 84 points in 2024-25.
Against the Canadiens on Saturday, Nylander had a team-high seven shots on goal and scored the tying goal in the Leafs’ 7-3 win.
“Willie is, it’s a challenge, like any player, you’d like to get that game he had in Montreal every night, but that’s not reality,” Berube said.
“He has the capability of doing it. This guy’s edge work and his puck play and competing on pucks offensively is high-end.
“It’s always a challenge to try to get these guys to be more consistent every night. That’s a coach’s job, and it’s not just Willie. It’s every player.”
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