Sheldon Keefe says Nylander's recent demotion is about sending a message, needing more from him

William Nylander is currently enjoying the fruits of his labour as he has already smashed his career high in goals and is only 1 point away from tying his career-best 80 points from last season - with 13 games left on the docket. There is a problem, however. Head coach, Sheldon Keefe, has not been too happy with his performance over the last few games and wants to see more from the soon-to-be 27-year-old.

Over his last 3 games Nylander has gone pointless, has only fired 7 shots on goal, and his ice-time has decreased from 21:12 to 17:32 to 16:53. He has also been pushed out of the top-6. On Monday, Keefe did his best to explain the decision to demote Nylander to third line duty.


The reconfigured Leafs lines Leafs has Nylander skating with Bobby McMann and Sam Lafferty on the team's third line. Auston Matthews is centering Alexander Kerfoot and Calle Jarnkrok. Together, the trio proved to be lethal against the Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, John Tavares has the luxury of playing with Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting.


Keefe on Nylander playing with Lafferty and McMann:


This is hardly bad news or a head coach calling out one of his better players. Keefe just wants to see Nylander come out and play with a more consistent flair. If he's sticking to the perimeter, dumping the puck, and not playing the game that led him to a career-season, then changes are to be expected. There's also the fun fact that Nylander has already told Keefe that he wants to be kicked in the rear end every now and again when the coach feels that his play is slipping

The Leafs are still in the thick of a battle for 2nd in the Atlantic Division and for home-ice in the first round. The Tampa Bay Lightning are only 3 points back of the Leafs for 2nd place but the Buds do have 2 games in hand. They have won 2 straight games after back-to-back defeats and are looking to maximize their star-studded lineup to the best of their abilities. If that means Nylander has to play with Lafferty and McMann to regain his mojo, then so be it. He is still playing on the top power play unit and should get plenty of chances to get back on the scoresheet and into the top-6.