“I don’t think he handles the media well”: P.K. Subban criticizes Sheldon Keefe’s public handling of William Nylander’s injury

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Apr 24, 2024 01:11 GMT

Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe has been mysteriously quiet regarding star forward William Nylander’s injury status.

Nylander played the entire 82 games this year but was a no-show at practice ahead of game one against the Boston Bruins and has missed both games of the Leafs-Bruns first-round matchup.

When asked about Nylander’s status, Keefe commented that GM Bran Treliving instructed him to avoid giving injury updates during the postseason, per the Sporting News.

The nature of Nylander’s injury is unknown. He seemed fine playing in the team’s final regular-season tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nevertheless, he's been off the radar since then.

The mystery has led NHL analyst P.K. Subban to question the Leafs’ handling of the situation. In particular, Subban stated on the Pat McAfee show:

"It’s a bit of a gongshow in Toronto with the media and Sheldon Keefe. (at 1:23 in the video below)"

Subban would go on to double down on his position, saying:

"In my opinion, I don’t think he handles the media well. ... There’s no excuses for this Toronto Maple Leafs team."

Subban’s criticism extends to the way the club handled Nylander’s potential injury situation. Subban contends that if the right winger had been playing hurt, the Leafs should have shut him down for the remainder of the regular season.

Regardless of the athlete's injury, Subban questions the Leafs’ management handling of the situation. He pointed out that the team misses Nylander, given his dynamic ability to open games.

Sheldon Keefe believes Nylander could be a possibility for game three

Sheldon Keefe maintains a tight lid on William Nylander’s injury status. Per TSN, Keefe said:

"Obviously no update today, because not much happening for us here today except for getting ready to travel."

Despite Keefe’s reluctance to drop any additional information, he did say that Nylander could be a possibility for game three.

"He’s a possibility for us tomorrow, I guess, is all we would say."

The Leafs played well in game two, grinding out a tough 3-2 win. With the series moving forward, the team will rely heavily on the scoring depth.

However, as Subban pointed out, the Leafs have John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews, who will need to step up if the Leafs hope to get past Boston.

Thus far, Keefe’s lineup juggling has the Leafs tied with the Bruins in this series. Nylander’s return would add another significant offensive weapon. In the meantime, all Leafs Nation can do is hold its collective breath.