Which player in the NHL playoffs this year is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ X-factor?
So, in order for the Toronto Maple Leafs to have any hope of making it past the first round and beyond, a few of their players will need to stand up and improve.
So, who would be the Leafs’ main X-factor to guide the team to victory in the postseason this year?
Is Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews a dynamic pair? Maybe one of the Maple Leafs goalies, like Joseph Woll or Ilya Samsonov, is trying to be the team’s savior by channeling their own Curtis Joseph? Or perhaps the all-around great “playoff” Morgan Rielly is making a comeback to replicate his successful offensive and defensive performance from the previous season?
Who is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ X-factor in the NHL playoffs this year?
The primary X-factor for the Leafs is none other than William Nylander, so it’s actually none of the above. That’s correct—Willy Styles himself. Why does that exist? It was not apparent at the time this piece was written if Nylander would be playing yesterday night.
In fact, Nylander has tied for the club lead in game-winning goals with two and led the Maple Leafs in total playoff goals with twelve throughout the course of the previous three postseasons.
More significantly, Nylander has led the team with four power play goals in the playoffs, despite the Leafs’ recent tendency to experience power outages during their power play. As a result, despite being heavily criticized for his lackluster postseason play, Nylander has been among the Leafs’ most productive players since the start of the decade.
In addition, Nylander just finished a career year in 2023–24 during which he established personal records in assists (58), points (98), and shots on goal (316). Nylander tied his career high in goals with 40.
Most remarkably, he recorded a career-high 32 hits this season, inflicting some unexpected damage on his opponents, despite not being recognized for his aggressive checking and tenacity. Nylander will thus undoubtedly be a potent weapon the Maple Leafs use in the postseason.
Nylander may be recovering from a medical condition, though, as seen by his absence from Friday’s Maple Leafs skate. (NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com provided all statistics.)
However, the more pressing concern is that Nylander’s postseason performance this year will ultimately define how much of an X-factor he is. To prevent getting destroyed into the boards, who will be the one to pull up and pass the puck to the other team? Alternatively, would it be the player who gets hammered by the opposition’s defenders but still finds a way to pass to a teammate for a great scoring opportunity?
There is a good chance the Maple Leafs will make a deep run in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs if the latter version turns out to be the one that emerges, making Nylander a genuine difference maker.