After taking part in one of the most memorable RFA stand-offs in NHL history, William Nylander finally played his first game with the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
The Swede is fresh off of signing a six-year, $41.4 million contract form last Saturday and made his regular season debut against the Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena. Nylander started alongside Auston Matthews on a line but saw his ice-time gradually decrease as the game progressed. He saw hardly any action in the third period and wasn’t used in the overtime frame, which Detroit eventually scored in to take the game 5-4. Following the contest, head coach Mike Babcock commented on his forward’s first game back after he received just 12:29 of total ice time.
Both Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson both received more ice-time with 17:26 and 14:05 respectively.
Nylander also had a chance to comment on his performance and despite the low playing time, he still felt “okay” about his play.
As it turns out, the practice Nylander was referring took place yesterday. His teammates were unable to make it after the bus broke down, leaving Nylander to practice by himself... again.
You can probably expect better (and longer) performances from the 22-year-old in the future.
(H/T Kristen Shilton)
