Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe throws wild criticism at star player

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Liam McCormick
December 24, 2023 (11:10)

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Coming off the most embarrassing loss the Leafs have suffered in quite some time, dropping a game to Buffalo 9-3, there was clearly trouble in paradise as the team's head coach dished out some wild criticism for a star player.

Before the game in Columbus, Sheldon Keefe was looking to make some lineup changes and spark something that was lacking in their last loss. The plan was to move Marner back with Matthews and demote Nylander to the second line. It's a common lineup move, but this time, Keefe really fished out some criticism towards William Nylander.

Despite the fact that Auston has been scoring consistently, I wouldn't say Willy has been a huge contributor to those goals. I believe Auston can still continue to be Auston.

It's a wild statement from the head coach given the unbelievable success Nylander has had this year, and even has had lately. Prior to last night, Nylander had assisted on 8 of the last 10 Matthews goals, with six of those assists being primary. Nylander showed up again for the Leafs last night too, scoring a shorthanded goal and registering two more assists.

It's a weird situation in Toronto where it seems the coach only has the ability to criticize William Nylander, while having to protect the egos of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Despite his success, and also his pending free agency, it's only ever Nylander that hears this bizarre type of call-outs from the coach.