After Monday’s practice, Sheldon Keefe discussed William Nylander’s new mega contract and his development into a top-five highest-earning player in the league.
Practice Lines – January 8
Leafs lines at practice
Knies – Matthews – Marner
Bertuzzi – Tavares – Nylander 💰
Holmberg – Domi – Jarnkrok
McMann – Kampf – Gregor
Robertson, ReavesRielly – Brodie
Benoit – McCabe
Giordano – Liljegren
Lagesson – TimminsJones
Hildeby@TSN_Edge— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 8, 2024
How pleased are you for William Nylander and the team after getting this deal done?
Keefe: Obviously, I am thrilled. I think Willy has earned it. That is the first thing. Anytime a player makes a commitment to the team and the team makes a commitment to the player, I think it is a great thing, particularly when you have a player of this calibre who has shown that he is just getting better and better.
Nylander has a unique personality. What have you enjoyed most about working with him?
Keefe: I guess just the challenge of pushing him and getting him to reach his potential. I coached Willy at first when he was 19 years old with the Marlies. In my time in the NHL, he has spoken a lot about being a top player in the league and being relied upon in all situations for our team. That has been his ambition, and in some cases, his actions or his consistency hasn’t matched those ambitions. We have had to push him to work through that.
He has done the work, and I think he has grown a tremendous amount. He showed last season that he was finding great consistency and maturity in his game. He hasn’t looked back from there. He is on another level this season.
To me, with the way he takes care of his body on and off the ice, the internal motivation that he has, and the drive to help our team win, you are pretty excited to coach this version of Willy that he has evolved into over the years.
What does it mean from your standpoint when you have players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who had options but both decided to stay here?
Keefe: I think it is a great sign that the guys believe in what is happening. That is part of it for sure. The reality is that when players of that calibre reach free-agency status, they have unlimited options. When they choose to remain here, it shows their belief in what we are doing, belief in the organization, belief in the city, and the motivation to win here.
What do you remember most about the 19-year-old Nylander?
Keefe: Just the talent level. It is very rare that you get a player of that calibre playing in the American league. I benefited — and our team at the time benefited — from the situation the Leafs were in at that time. They wanted to give him time in the American league.
You get to know the talent, first of all, but you also — from my perspective — learn that as part of it, he was going to need to be pushed and at times be hard on. At times, it wasn’t going to go the way he wanted it to. We were seeking greater consistency in displaying the talents and abilities that he has, which go beyond the point production.
I’m talking about competing on the puck and completing plays defensively. That, to me, is a complete player. That is where he has really taken his game to another level. The offensive piece has always been there, but there was more of a push shift-to-shift and game-to-game to display his abilities. To me, he has taken it to another level.
Was there a point when you were pushing him that you noticed the details of his game were starting to take shape?
Keefe: Through last season, and the way he started last season in particular. He had a bit of a dip in the second half, but he found his way back and had a terrific playoff for us.
With the way he started last season, there was a long period of time when he was really driving our team in so many ways. This season has been very similar.
Last season, in the first good while to start the season, the consistency shift-to-shift and game-to-game was very apparent. It really helped our team through some difficult times in the early part of last season. This season as well, it has been the same.
Was there a moment behind the scenes when the team learned the news about Nylander’s contract?
Keefe: We chatted about it and informed our team about it today. We gave the guys a chance to acknowledge him. That is a great moment. It is always nice to be able to do those things. The players share in it as well.
The players are excited. When a player of that magnitude makes a commitment to the organization, it makes the guys feel good, too. It was nice to have that despite the fact that it was probably the league’s worst-kept secret.
What was your approach during the process of the contract playing out? You are a coach, not a GM, so you are not part of the negotiations, but you are around him every day. Did you check in on Nylander at times to see how he is doing, or do you stay out of it?
Keefe: I stay out of it, especially with a guy like Will, who is thriving and having the type of season that he’s had. At no point was I concerned.
Coming into the year, I was asked about it. Of all people, Willy is the type of personality and demeanor who is focused and driven. I’ve used the term unflappable a lot. I think he just goes out and plays. That is really what he has done.
At no time did I feel I needed to bring it up or talk to him about it. We talk often. This season, in particular, the approach has been different. He has been a different player. There has been a lot more positive reinforcement. At times, as he often tells me, if he is not playing the way we expect him to, he wants to know. He wants to be pushed.
It is a lot easier to snap him back into it and direct him to do the things he knows he needs to do. That is one of the things that, as a coach, I really appreciate. Willy is very self-aware, wants to be pushed, and wants to be coached.
Who is starting in net on Tuesday?
Keefe: Jones.
