"He's better" "Incoming 60 Goal szn": Maple Leafs fans react as William Nylander inches closer to Mitch Marner as NHL's 6th best right winger

William Nylander is ranked as the sixth-best right winger in the NHL by NHL Network ahead of the upcoming season. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward stayed in the same spot as last year. He is one place behind his former teammate Mitch Marner, who is now with the Vegas Golden Knights and ranked fifth.

Marner climbed from 10th last year after scoring 102 points, while Nylander has scored 40 or more goals for three straight seasons. If Nylander can put up another 45-goal campaign, he could move higher in future rankings.

Leafs posted the update on X, saying:

"William Nylander has been ranked as the sixth-best right winger in the #NHL by NHL Network in their yearly offseason rankings. He’s one spot behind his former teammate - and now Golden Knight - Mitch Marner, and just a couple of spots off the top. Thoughts?"

NHL fans began reacting to the post on X.

"Yea yea, Incoming 60 Goal szn," a fan said.

"He’s better than Marner," another fan commented.

"Fair, based on last year's numbers. I expect MM to drop and Willy to rise, though!," one X user commented.

Take a look at some more reactions from fans on X.

"If this guy play with any kind of tenacity, any kind of heart, he would be unstoppable," one fan wrote.

"Could arguably be put above Marner. Marner is a great two way player but William Nylander can actually score when you need him to," commented another fan.

"He’s better. Can we please stop mentioning Mitch Marner who is no longer a Leaf. Build the future and move forward," a fan tweeted.

William Nylander's former teammate Mitch Marner shares thoughts on trade to Golden Knights

In July, Mitch Marner spoke about being traded from the Maple Leafs to the Golden Knights. He said his agent informed him about possible talks between the two teams. Vegas was high on his list, and he wanted to join them.

“You want to be in a place where you want to win,” Marner said, via NHL.com.

He believes the Golden Knights can win the Stanley Cup. Marner also looked forward to playing with Jack Eichel, praising his skill and vision. He said it was hard to leave Toronto after nine years.

"As soon as the year started up we were ready to commit and play hockey and see what would happen but at the same time, willing to take it to the distance and told Toronto that was our plan. I was so grateful to play there for nine years," Marner said.

However, he felt this was the right chance for him and his family.

About the author

Abhilasha is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda. Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, her interest in writing hockey was piqued after watching an NHL skills video on YouTube. The 2023 Stanley Cup Finale series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers was among the most iconic games she has seen and it left an impact on her.

Her reporting strengths include covering news stories and following stars like McDavid, Matthews and Alex Ovechkin, among others.

Abhilasha is a huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche because of their skilled forwards, while her favorite players include Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard. For her, John Tortorella is the greatest coach ever.

Abhilasha has over 3 years of experience writing content for different products and websites, along with handling social media content for various brands. She values using credible sources when writing and likes to identify fake and false narratives.

Abhilasha’s hobbies include spiritual reading, staying updated on the latest makeup trends, fitness and exploring new destinations through travel.

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Edited by Krutik Jain