William Nylander Injury Update
William Nylander is not playing because he is sick. Team staff have called it an illness and expect it to be a short term issue.
Toronto scratched him ahead of the game against the Washington Capitals after he woke up feeling unwell on Friday. He had missed practice earlier with what the club called a maintenance day but coaches said the illness was separate from that and only showed up later. He was at the arena around teammates and was in decent spirits yet the medical staff and coach Craig Berube agreed he should sit out rather than risk making things worse.
Nylander has been the Maple Leafs leading scorer so his absence stands out. He has 11 goals and 31 points through 20 games which puts him at the top of the team scoring chart this season. He also scored the overtime winner in the previous game against Columbus so the timing of the illness is frustrating for both him and the club.
The team made quick changes once it was clear he could not go. Dakota Joshua came back into the forward group after being a healthy scratch in the last game and slotted into the lineup spot that would usually belong to Nylander. Head coach Craig Berube also scrapped a planned five forward power play and went back to a more standard setup with Morgan Rielly running the top unit from the blue line.
Coaches have stressed that this is an illness situation and not a structural injury. Reports around the club say the issue is not related to the minor problem that led to his earlier maintenance day. The expectation is that he will miss at least the Capitals game while the staff monitor how quickly he recovers.
Berube has praised Nylander for wanting to play and has said the winger pushed to be available. The decision to rest him came down to how he felt on the day of the game and the risk of playing through sickness during a busy schedule. The Leafs travel to Pittsburgh next to face the Penguins and there is hope inside the team that if the illness passes quickly he could be an option again soon though that still depends on how he responds over the next day or two.
For now the situation is simple. Nylander is out because he is sick and the Leafs are treating it as a short term absence while they shuffle their lines and power play without their top scorer.
Disclaimer
This update is based on publicly available team information and media reports at the time of writing. The Toronto Maple Leafs have described William Nylander’s absence as illness-related and not injury-related. No detailed medical information has been released. Player availability may change as the team provides further updates. Always refer to official team statements for the most accurate and current details.
