Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander Point Projections for 2026-27
· Yahoo Sports
We will finish up with one final Toronto Maple Leafs player point total prediction for the upcoming 2026-27 season. For Maple Leaf players, we have already completed Matthew Knies, Gavin McKenna, Auston Matthews, and today we bring you the William Nylander point projections. So, let’s get into it.
’26-27 Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander Point Projections
December 2, 2024; Toronto, Ontario; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (23), defenceman Morgan Rielly (44), forward William Nylander (88), and defenceman Philippe Myers (51) celebrate a goal by forward Auston Matthews (34) against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn ImagesAs training camp has progressed, some of the picture has been more clear, for all teams. Let’s make it clear, the Toronto Maple Leafs are banking on their top-six forwards carrying them with ease into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It won’t be easy, but there is an argument to be made, that on paper, it should be a shoe-in.
Visit moryak.biz for more information.
The impact on the William Nylander point projections, is that their forward group attempts to thin the oppositions’ defensive structure, and it allows the Leafs top forwards to attack in waves.
The Leafs Top Forwards
So far in camp, it seems like Nylander will start with John Tavares and the 2026 first-overall draft pick Gavin McKenna. Regardless of how the season goes, that is a line with a lot of star power. It might help to take the pressure off the other big line with Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Jack Roslovic, who as we have explored, have some plans of offensive destruction of their own. Na na na na.
Now to narrow in our William Nylander point projections, as he has a very hard and accurate shot, perhaps similar to Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators. In addition, Nylander has a playmaking style to his game, which can really open up the ice for his linemates. That thinking is evidenced by his career high of 58 assists back in 2023-24.
In terms of his goal totals, last year he took a little step back, mainly due to missing some time. He had 30 goals in 65 games, still an incredible pace. However, the previous three seasons, he played in a full 82-game schedule, and notched 40-or-more goals each time. The year before that, it was 34 goals in 81 games. In any sense, it seems Nylander has set a high standard for himself to achieve personally in the goal column, and will get close to it year-in, year-out.
Furthermore, his shooting has been extremely impressive. Last year he had a 19.2 shooting percentage and the year before it was 17.8 percent. This is well up from his career rate of 13.5 percent. Moreover, the aspect of his game that has varied greatly, is how much he has actually shot the puck.
Last year, he only had 156 shots on goal, and that helps to make sense of his low shooting totals, as pucks were basically just going in for the Swedish sniper. In contrast, that was well off the pace of his career high, from just back in 2023-24 of 316 shots on goal. This type of variation would directly correlate to Nylander landing in 30-goal land, or well into the 40s.
The other thing that shows his high level of consistently, is his career best ice times have come in the last three NHL seasons, when he has been between 19:25 and 19:55 in each of those three campaigns. Again, no reason to conclude that he can’t approach an amount like that again in 2026-27.
The Last Word
Getting into the final numbers, and the first two forward lines and top power play unit will see some movement for the Leafs. And depending how Matthews and Nylander play with, it will bring variability to their goal and assist totals, but shouldn’t change their end of the day point totals, all that much. The two of them especially will still find themselves playing together on the top unit or in the last minutes of games and overtime, when the Leafs need a goal. Also, for our William Nylander point projections, his exceptional ability to setup teammates, will help to keep his point totals high.
We see Nylander having a standard year for him, with 37 to 41 goals. He has averaged 37.8 over his past five NHL seasons, after all. Next, in terms of his assists. Playing with guys like Matthews, Knies, McKenna, and Tavares on a consistent basis, he is going to find a lot of space for them to setup his seam passes for high-danger offensive opportunities. Look for Nylander to land somewhere around 44 to 48 assists in this upcoming campaign. Therefore, we can add it all up, and put him right around 85 points, we will set his official range between 84 and 89, as we do tend to offset the true mid-point of our prediction interval.
More News and Notes from Around the NHL:
2026-27 Tampa Bay Lightning Season Preview
2026-27 Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele Point Total Predictions
NHL Rumours and If the Montreal Canadiens are Trading Sam Montembeault
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images