THN predicts W Nylander is this years Pastrnak?! REP!!

[Fighting_Emu]

39. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs: The awe-shucks Mitch Marner gets more fanfare in Toronto, but Nylander was the more explosive talent in the second half last year and has higher goal-scoring upside. He?s this year?s Pastrnak.

Original article: http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/ar...rs-for-2017-18

Doing some digging (on Barkov ironically enough) and stumbled accross this??!! Anyone else seeing the similarities?? Im not. Not only do the sogs line up very well at all- he also "looks" like a "hold first/pass first" type of player. Yea his points "look good"- hes a highlight reel machine- but his shot metrics dont really paint the picture of a Pastrnak goal scoring threat at all imo. Id LOVE to be wrong here. Is that in the cards for Willie?? Maybe its because I watch a lot of Leaf gamers and end up getting disillusioned by their players easily- lol! But he holds the puck forever and is always looking for that sneaky cross seam pass. He reminds me- and this will and should bother leafs fans- Ales Hemsky. So talented with moves that could scramble defenders like breakfast at Denny's but so many bad turnovers trying to beat guys 1 on 1, so many "too clever for your own good" passes when there's a clear shooting lane, so many... Hemsky-isms- lol!! I hope Im wrong as a leafs fan and as a Nylander owner. Im actually actively trying to shop him because I just have a feeling his game is all sizzle, low steak (Im not going to say "no steak" with the numbers hes already put up). Im not saying total bust but Ive personally adjusted my "attainable upside" on this guy down quite a bit.

I know guys dont typically peak in their first full season- lol- but my gut is telling me hes pretty much a 25 goal, 60 point guy who contributes just enough sogs to be relevant (200ish) and a bit more pp reliant than other forwards of his ilk (which handily means more ppp). I could see an outlier year or two of 70 points- but does anyone think he got Pastrnak like tal;ent??? Id love to be wrong- please give me any kind of metric/observation/analysis/opinion on why he has a higher ceiling than Im pencilling him in for...

[Godin]

I like Nylander but they have Kessel at 37 and describe him as a poor man's Wheeler in fantasy. lol Not much credibility there.

[Timmins_Tornado]

As a Leafs fan I don't really disagree with your assessment at all (except for the Ales Hemsky part, Nylander is clearly a tier or 2 above him) Hes overly reliant on powerplay time, plus the way Babcock likes to roll all of his lines and the scoring depth on Toronto he wont be used in every single situation like Boston's top line will. right now I see him as a guy with a 50 point floor and a ceiling in the 70's. If he sticks with Matthews enough that could change, but his inconsistency has seen him bounced all over the lineup. Talent wise I don't see him far off from Pasternak but his utilization will never be as favourable as being on Boston's top line. I'm also a Pasternak owner so I have a decent perspective on both players.

[lucafen4]

not sure it's fair to compare Nylander to Pasta, they're just different players. Nylander's def. got 70pt upside. I mean, it seems he hasn't done much this year, but is on pace for 60pts. there hasn't been a real true hot streak for this kid yet this year. Seems 60pts will be his floor moving forward.

[Godin]

Making a statement tonight. 2 goals so far.

[lucafen4]

Making a statement tonight. 2 goals so far.

was wondering if his ears were burning

[havanablast21]

3 points and counting.

Wish Emu was in one of my leagues trying to offload Nylander.

[Fighting_Emu]

As a Leafs fan I don't really disagree with your assessment at all (except for the Ales Hemsky part, Nylander is clearly a tier or 2 above him) Hes overly reliant on powerplay time, plus the way Babcock likes to roll all of his lines and the scoring depth on Toronto he wont be used in every single situation like Boston's top line will. right now I see him as a guy with a 50 point floor and a ceiling in the 70's. If he sticks with Matthews enough that could change, but his inconsistency has seen him bounced all over the lineup. Talent wise I don't see him far off from Pasternak but his utilization will never be as favourable as being on Boston's top line. I'm also a Pasternak owner so I have a decent perspective on both players.

Yea- thats actually a much better way to put it. He plays Hemsky(ish in style albeit a tier or two higher. So to word this as bass awkwards as possible... a Rich Mans Ales Hemsky??

[Fighting_Emu]

3 points and counting.

Wish Emu was in one of my leagues trying to offload Nylander.

Lmao!! Thats too funny- I havent even looked at the box scores yet- haha!!

[FrozenInferno]

There is some Leafs fan AND Nylander owner bias in my post, but here goes: I see Nylander as a Draisaitl-lite type of player. He's a superbly skilled winger with a laser of a shot who rides shotgun to, and has great chemistry with, the franchise center (Matthews), but also has the skill set and ability to someday play center and have his own line in maybe a year or two down the road.

Will he someday be as good at both positions like a Draisaitl?
Probably not. Will he ever be a point per game player? Probably not. I'd certainly love to see him produce at that clip though. But realistically, with his talent and the talent around him, I can absolutely see him have a 60pt floor and ~75pt ceiling.

[Fighting_Emu]

There is some Leafs fan AND Nylander owner bias in my post, but here goes: I see Nylander as a Draisaitl-lite type of player. He's a superbly skilled winger with a laser of a shot who rides shotgun to, and has great chemistry with, the franchise center (Matthews), but also has the skill set and ability to someday play center and have his own line in maybe a year or two down the road.

Will he someday be as good at both positions like a Draisaitl?
Probably not. Will he ever be a point per game player? Probably not. I'd certainly love to see him produce at that clip though. But realistically, with his talent and the talent around him, I can absolutely see him have a 60pt floor and ~75pt ceiling.

Thats where I see him at too in terms of floor and ceiling. I was just struck by the Pasta comparison because although he maybe has a similar floor, I see a much higher ceiling (ppg or better in a handful of seasons)

[Fighting_Emu]

I like Willie too. Hes a human highlight reel and seems like a guy you want to cheer for (I do anyways)- I just worry about his tendency to have the puck on his stick for so long. The last guy I was bullish on like that (and I sound like a broken record here I know) was Hemsky. I was swearing up and down he was a 90 point player and he never came close. And that was the issue- he was eating pp minutes like skittles but he was looking for plays that were just a little bit too picturesque. In the NHL you gotta be able to get the greasy, grimy goals too and so far Willies game just screams "perimeter player". Like I say- I hope Im wrong- I WANT to be worng- lol!! Im a fan of Nylanders interviews, the way he carries himself, his highlight reel, Im just nervous- I dont want to get burned again- lmfao!!

Comparisons I dont like but are seeming apt:

Hemsky
Kovalev
Semin (without quite the release)

AKA immensely talented players who never translated their skill into gamebreaking numbers. Yes Kovalev had elite seasons- I think its fair to set that number at maybe 3.5- but 3.5 out of 20 odd something is not the fantasy asset you want to buy in heavily. In fact Kovalev might be the best exa,ple of my concern. He was always servicablke fantasy wise but he had so much more talent than what he seemed to give you. thats my concern.

Im not comfortable putting Pastrnak on that list- lol :P

/endrant

[FrozenInferno]

I don't think Nylander plays center next year, he's still got work to do in that regard and Babcock won't rush him. He's Matthews' wingman for a while yet.

As for his ruggedness in the corners and whatnot no, it's not a strength of his. That's why Babs loves playing Hyman on that line to do the dirty work and get pucks while Willy and Matthews utilize the open ice and find each other to make plays. One huge strength to Nylander's game is how he can lead the rush and enter the offensive zone like a hot knife through butter, which means most plays don't need to start in the corners anyway.

I also prefer Nylander over Marner and that's why targeted him in my auction draft. They are both superbly talented but Nylander is more versatile and plays with the better linemates. Marner is an exceptional playmaker and has also been red hot lately but I like Willy's game better. A lot of Leafs fans are biased towards Marner because he's a hometown kid.

[Fighting_Emu]

Really? I have always been higher on Nylander and that has never wavered. I didn't even know that was the bias tbh- lol- so shows what I know :P

[FrozenInferno]

The Marner preference is probably more for Leafs fans around the Ontario area. I'm from the east coast so I'm not emotionally invested in a player from the local area. Not to take anything from Marner at all, I love having all of the big three, but I personally prefer Nylander.