3 Toronto Maple Leafs who might see a performance dip next season feat. William Nylander

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Aug 25, 2024 03:06 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look for key contributions from every team member. While some players are poised to have breakout seasons, others may see a regression compared to last season’s numbers.

As such, here’s a look at three Toronto Maple Leafs players who could see a regression in their performances this upcoming season.

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Three Toronto Maple Leafs who might see a performance dip next season

#3 Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Ekman-Larsson had a resurgent season last year, notching up nine goals and 32 points in 80 games for Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. The turnaround season was a breath of fresh air following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign in Vancouver where Ekman-Larsson played just 54 games.

Now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ekman-Larsson will look to repeat last year’s success. However, a regression may be on the horizon, particularly if injuries or inconsistency becomes a major factor.

Specifically, Ekman-Larsson will be asked to step up to the Maple Leafs’ middle pairing as opposed to playing in the bottom pairing with the Panthers. The additional pressure to perform may cause a dip in Ekman-Larsson's numbers.

#2 Max Domi

Domi translated a “show-me” one-year deal last season into a multi-year contract extension this offseason.

After a slow start, the 29-year-old produced 47 points in 80 games last season. While Leafs fans will expect Domi to improve his last season’s totals, there’s a chance that Domi may regress this upcoming season.

In particular, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have trouble defining a role for Domi. While he's highly useful as a top-six winger, the club may try Domi out as the third-line center. If that’s the case, Domi may have trouble adjusting to the new role, leading to a dip in production.

It remains to be seen what role Domi plays, potentially helping him maintain a strong presence on the team.

#1 William Nylander

Nylander had his best season last year, topping 40 goals for the second straight season, totaling 98 points.

While fans hope that Nylander can kick past 100 points, there’s reason to believe that he could regress down to his usual career totals. There’s no doubt that Nylander has the talent to top the century mark. Nevertheless, it’s more realistic to see him finish the year somewhere in the 80-point range.

It must be pointed out that Nylander is on an upward trend. Over the last three seasons, he has totaled 80, 87 and 98 points respectively. Nevertheless, plenty of things need to go right for Nylander to beat last season’s career highs.