Despite a disappointing season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, William Nylander says he still wants to remain with the team, even if changes are coming.
After a gut-wrenching Game 7 loss in the second round of last year’s playoffs to the Florida Panthers, expectations for the 2025-26 season were high. Instead, the Maple Leafs sit second-last in the Atlantic Division and are on track to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Even with the team struggling, the Swedish star made it clear he hopes to stay in Toronto if management chooses to retool rather than rebuild.
Nylander is in the second year of an eight-year contract. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)
“Unless it was a full rebuild and we were going to get rid of everybody, then it’s a different story,” Nylander told The Athletic on Wednesday. “But just to do a retool or whatever, I don’t even know—I mean, I want to be here.”
Discussion around the team’s direction escalated this week after MLSE president Keith Pelley dismissed Brad Treliving from his role as the general manager prior to Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
On Tuesday, Pelley spoke to the media, saying he would be open to any decision necessary to help the Maple Leafs achieve their championship goals.
“I’m comfortable doing anything that gives the Toronto Maple Leafs the best chance to win the Stanley Cup.”
Keith Pelley on how he’ll approach the GM search. pic.twitter.com/L65AaDECoX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2026
Nylander said he had previously been told by team management that a rebuild was not the plan. However, with Treliving now gone, that could change.
The 29-year-old forward is in the second season of an eight-year, $92-million contract. He currently ranks eighth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 683 points in 743 career games. Despite missing some time this season, he’s been one of Toronto’s most productive players offensively, leading the team in scoring with 26 goals and 45 assists in just 58 games.
Nylander related the ongoing struggles to a recent example within the division as a reason for optimism. The Boston Bruins finished last in the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 with 76 points, retooled their roster, and now find themselves in a playoff position with just six games remaining.
With the team’s core all under contract next season, Nylander implies: why can’t the Maple Leafs be Boston?
Lead photo by
Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images