William Nylander heads into tonight's Maple Leafs game against Ottawa with a glowing review for, of all things, his backcheck.
Jim Hiller brought it up himself after Tuesday's practice. The Leafs closed their last session on a Nylander backcheck that finished with a stick lift "all the way down."
"We're seeing some really, really good stuff out of him," Hiller said. Coaches don't usually volunteer defensive clips of a winger famous for walking defenders on the other end.
So why lead with that in September? Because Hiller, hired June 17, is still installing his program, and he went out of his way to praise his $11,500,000 winger for work without the puck.
The two have history. Hiller said the first ex-player who reached out when he took over an NHL bench was "Willy," and they hadn't spoken in years.
"It really meant something to me," the coach said. He added that they "spent a lot of time together before" and that his star winger "wants to be so good."
That kind of bond cuts both ways. A coach who likes his star can squeeze more out of him, or he can look the other way when the effort dips in February.
Maple Leafs still chasing a win with the Montreal opener looming
Toronto has dropped two straight, the latest a 4-3 overtime loss in Montreal on Saturday. Not ideal for a new staff trying to sell a new identity.
Ottawa shows up in a similar mood after its own 3-2 overtime loss in Montreal on Monday. Same building, same ending.
Then it gets real. The Leafs open the regular season at home against the Canadiens on Tuesday, September 29, the first of three straight at home before a road trip through Vegas, Colorado and Utah.
Hearing a coach rave about Nylander's backchecking is a bit like your mechanic complimenting the brakes on a sports car. Nice to know. Nobody bought the thing for the brakes.
But Hiller is right to push it. A Nylander who wins races back to his own blue line is worth more to this group than one extra highlight goal a month.
Auston Matthews carries a $13,250,000 cap hit. With that much money tied up in two players, Hiller wants a two-way return on the investment, and he's asking for it out loud.
He also mentioned the work his winger puts in away from the rink. "I know he trains and does all that stuff," Hiller said, calling some of the recent practice details "really impressive."
A stick lift in a practice with no scoreboard is easy to celebrate.
The harder question is whether that same backcheck shows up in Utah on Tuesday, October 13, with the Leafs chasing a game late.
-
Hiller has put his praise on the record. Now Nylander gets to decide how long it stays there.
Will William Nylander still be backchecking like this for Jim Hiller come February?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Maple Leafs player shows up to camp out of shape and gets called out publicly by Jim Hiller
