William Nylander Says He's Committed To The Maple Leafs — Unless They Go Through A Rebuild
Is it time for the Leafs to blow it up completely?
This season for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been nothing short of a complete and utter disaster, with the team, which came in as projected Stanley Cup contender (though I'd argue that was never really the case), about to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
GM Brad Treliving got the axe earlier this week, and with a GM change, a coaching change usually isn't too far behind, meaning head coach Craig Berube could be next out the door.
But the team also needs to make changes to its roster; a full rebuild might be what the doctor ordered, but it could also cost them one of their most reliable players, William Nylander.
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The 29-year-old Swede has had a decent year, given the team's performance and the fact that he missed a chunk of time with injury.
With all the uncertainty around the team's current direction, Nylander was asked about his commitment to the club.
"Unless it was a full rebuild and we were going to get rid of everybody, then it’s a different story. Then you take that conversation," Nylander told The Athletic. "But just to do a retool or whatever, I don’t even know, but I mean, I still want to be here, yeah."
Can you blame him?
William Nylander expressed his commitment to the Maple Leafs — unless they go into a full-rebuild. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
A rebuild would take years, and at 29, while Nylander still has some tread on the tire, he won't want to waste it laboring away at the bottom of the standings to collect draft picks.
Neither will the team's other core pieces, like John Tavares or Auston Matthews.
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So, the next GM has one heck of a situation that they'll have to deal with on day one: do you keep your generational talent and continue to struggle?
Or, do you send them packing and try to rebuild from the ground up?
I think that, given how this season has gone, the only real option is the latter.