When he signed with the Maple Leafs last summer in free agency, Steven Lorentz took a moment to think about his new teammates.
He wondered what it would be like to share a dressing room with the Leafs’ big-name players, including Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
Before the Leafs set out on their four-game trip, we asked Lorentz specifically about Nylander, who continues to make a positive impact on his teammates, whether it’s during games or away from the ice.
“Truly unique,” Lorentz said. “He’s — I don’t know what the right word is — mysterious, almost. He’s just a guy who always kind of surprises you.
“You know what you’re getting from him, but he’s still unique in that way. I don’t know whether it’s his outfits or a play he makes or his laid-back demeanor, you don’t know what reaction you’re going to get from him sometimes, but everything he does is just so him.”
During the Leafs’ trip to Muskoka in September, Lorentz got to know Nylander a little better.
“He was so laid-back and super welcoming,” Lorentz said. “We had a good talk there one night. Really down-to-earth. He’s just a really nice guy.”
Nylander has cranked his even-keel up a notch this season. He shrugged when asked recently about a three-game losing streak the Leafs were on, and a week or so later, he had a similar response when he was questioned about the club’s three-game winning streak at the time.
“He gets emotional, but it’s never ruining his day,” Lorentz said. “He’s not going to go running around (during games) doing stuff that’s out of his character. He’s just ‘all right, well, I’ll get back to doing what I do, getting points, skating.’ What you see, that’s who he is.”
Nylander peeled back his outer layer to a degree on Tuesday night in Calgary after he scored his second National Hockey League hat trick in the Leafs’ 6-3 win against the Flames. In his post-game availability with media at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Nylander clearly was chuffed to score three goals in the city where he was born while his dad Michael played for the Flames.
Bobby McMann acknowledged after the game that he tries to follow Nylander’s on-ice lead in a specific way. Not that it’s simple to do with the manner in which Nylander scores as often as he does.
Only Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, who had 37 goals going into the Oilers’ game in Chicago on Wednesday, has more than Nylander’s 33 goals.
“What I have watched the most is how he baits the goalie for a half-second,” McMann said after scoring his personal-best 16th goal. “He leans into it, but then he holds it for a second just before he shoots. I think it throws the goalie off a little bit. The timing of when he releases the puck is something I’m trying to pick up on.
“Sometimes he just holds the shot or finds that little spot just above the pad, glove, he makes it look easy.”
MARNER, STOLARZ IN?
The Leafs travelled to Seattle on Tuesday night after beating the Flames and did not practise on Wednesday.
Some players did take to the ice, namely, winger Mitch Marner and goalie Anthony Stolarz, both with an eye to returning to the lineup on Thursday against the Kraken.
Marner didn’t play in Calgary after he suffered a lower-body injury in the Toronto win in Edmonton on Saturday against the Oilers. Stolarz has been out since Dec. 12 and is nearly fully recovered from having a knee procedure.
“I think (Marner) is in a good spot,” Leafs coach Craig Berube told media on Wednesday. “Good possibility he could play.”
Is the plan for Stolarz to get the start against the Kraken?
“It could be,” Berube said. “I have to make decisions on these guys yet and they have to make decisions on themselves. We will see where they are at.
“(Stolarz) felt a lot better (on Tuesday) with his timing and tracking pucks and things like that. He is getting to the point where he is ready.
“In practice, the goalie, when he has not played in a long time, is he seeing the puck, is he making the saves he should make. That stuff can weigh on your head a little bit as a goalie. They want to feel confident going in, that they’re ready. If they’re not tracking it properly, they are not making the saves they think they should make in practice, they are not going to feel like they are ready for the game.”
VIDEO GAME MASTERS
Another challenge, another win for Leafs video gurus Jordan Bean and Sam Kim.
The latest came against the Flames when a goal by Joel Farabee was negated after a review, off a challenge by Berube, because of goalie interference on the part of Jonathan Huberdeau.
Had the goal counted, the Flames would have taken a 1-0 lead in the first period.
“I listen to them,” Berube told media after the game, referring to Bean and Kim. “They have done a great job, they are dialled in on it.
“They study it. They are looking at everything around the league all the time and they understand what’s going on and what could be called and what shouldn’t be called. They have done a fantastic job.”
Said goaltender Joseph Woll: “I appreciate their work. They help me out a lot.”
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