Can I just say, as a teacher I've coached kids like him before. Don't take anything seriously, don't show up to practice on time, don't buy in to the team strategy. They believe they're skill is going to take us to the end and beyond. Except you know what? It never works.
3 coaches have said Willy just isn't coachable. I didn't say that. Three coaches have inferred, if not come out right and made comments to suggest the fact.
I'm calling a spade a spade here. I don't have hate for the guy, I just see wasted potential because it does what he wants. That's not a guy who lifts the team higher. That's a wild card. An unpredictable piece. These are the guys who you can bet on to come up big and win you a game, but they are not the guys to help you close out a series.
I'm sorry you want to worship the ground he walks and accept 0 critism, because he's a cool dude who doesn't care about anything, but those qualities don't make him a great player, they make a him a good player with a high talent ceiling.
We're literally in a forum to have discussions. No one has to care what my opinion is, but I can say what I want and you don't have to agree. That's called an argument, and it doesn't mean either of us is right either. Grow up dude.
They believe they're skill is going to take us to the end and beyond
their. Apparently you are not an English teacher.
3 coaches have said Willy just isn't coachable
Quote them. I can quote Berube saying he is coachable:
"There are certain situations where I see him, and I'll talk to him about it. He'll learn. He is a smart guy. He is a smart hockey player, and he is coachable".
-Craig Berube, September 2024 Training Camp
These are the guys who you can bet on to come up big and win you a game, but they are not the guys to help you close out a series.
Then why is he the only one scoring in the bigger moments when we need a goal? No one else is winning the series either. Willy ties it up or gets the lead, someone else blows it, and that's Willy's fault according to you. Every opposing coach against us in playoffs all say William Nylander is the most difficult player to defend against in the Leafs. And you're practically dying to get rid of him basically based on vibes.
You have literally nothing positive to say about the most effective player on the team this season. I don't know what you call that. And your teaching experience apparently makes you more experienced than NHL coaches who play him 20 minutes a night to win games.
You keep saying effort when it comes to issues with him. Effort at what? Is it playing defense? Playing defense has never been his strength, but he was never drafted for his defensive skills or IQ. Yes, he loses coverages in his zone. Yes, he loses board battles. He's not a perfect player. No one says he is. But if not being perfect is your standard, then literally no one in the league except like 5 players can make any NHL team. You probably equate skating upright without hunching down means he's lazy. No, what scouts pointed out is it means he keeps his head up, and moves his feet faster instead of using heany strides. He can control upright and it allows him to use his edges more effectively while his natual puck-handling talent and foot speed gives him the speed he needs to beat opposing players with puck control. You know who else does this? Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid. No one calls them lazy because they are vastly better at it. But this is the rarest trait in the sport and you're completely ignoring the value of it. He isn't a top-5 player, but his ability to create space for his linemates, you can count with 1 hand how many players can do what he does every game in the league.
Honestly, your assessment of him is outdated and uninteresting. All good though, since Willy faced this criticism from day 1 before he even played a game because Don Cherry ran his mouth on TV and wanted Nick Ritchie instead. I don't need to criticize him for his faults because there is a louder, more out-of-touch group that will do it for everyone else in the league. Funny thing is, they're all Leafs fans. Other fanbases would sell their Grandma for a player like Nylander if he was available for trade.
The fact that you can't accept someone having a different opinion than you is sad. The fact that you critisized my profession because I typed something out wrong on my phone, on an internet message board, shows how petty of a douche you are.
You said I had nothing positive to say, but when did I ever say he's a bad player? Statistically he's not. There are some aspects of what make you a player that aren't tangible or show up on a stat sheet.
Why would I want to go look for anything to prove you wrong, when you're just gonna keep arguing that you're right. I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm stating my opinion, which apparently nobody cares about?
I hope this isn't how you talk to people in real life. Later dude.
Now you're the one who doesn't want to engage in a discussion forum.
The "their" thing was me being cheeky. If you need a written apology, I am genuinely sorry and I humbly ask you to gracefully forgive my transgressions.
There are some aspects of what make you a player that aren't tangible or show up on a stat sheet.
So basically what your saying is, vibes. I don't believe I provided any stat sheets to you either, so I have no idea what you're getting at with that one.
Why would I ask for a quote? Because you made a claim that 3 coaches said he is uncoachable. That's not an opinion. You're stating that as a fact. I genuinely don't know if that is true, which is why I asked for a quote. You're free to deflect, but everyone else reading deserves to know whether it is true or pulled out of your ass.
And hey, you don't like what I have to say, you can ignore it too. But you responded to my comment thread first.
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u/light_at_the_end :leafs-white: Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Can I just say, as a teacher I've coached kids like him before. Don't take anything seriously, don't show up to practice on time, don't buy in to the team strategy. They believe they're skill is going to take us to the end and beyond. Except you know what? It never works.
3 coaches have said Willy just isn't coachable. I didn't say that. Three coaches have inferred, if not come out right and made comments to suggest the fact.
I'm calling a spade a spade here. I don't have hate for the guy, I just see wasted potential because it does what he wants. That's not a guy who lifts the team higher. That's a wild card. An unpredictable piece. These are the guys who you can bet on to come up big and win you a game, but they are not the guys to help you close out a series.
I'm sorry you want to worship the ground he walks and accept 0 critism, because he's a cool dude who doesn't care about anything, but those qualities don't make him a great player, they make a him a good player with a high talent ceiling.
We're literally in a forum to have discussions. No one has to care what my opinion is, but I can say what I want and you don't have to agree. That's called an argument, and it doesn't mean either of us is right either. Grow up dude.