William Nylander has been with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 10 seasons, and he knows well what comes with playing in the city. Drafted eighth in 2014, he has become one of the team’s most reliable players, but also one who faces the constant pressure that comes with the Leafs’ long playoff struggles.On SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Nylander was clear about how he deals with it.“Yeah, I mean, I think people forget that we as players also want to win,” he said. “So, I mean, I think we have our goal to want to go all the way. I’ve been playing there for a while, but I don’t know, I don’t really think about what other people say or what their opinion is on how we’re playing."We inside the locker room know what we need to do. It’s not an easy battle, you’ve got to appreciate the grind it takes when you eventually get to that point.”Nylander points out that while the outside talk is constant, he chooses not to let it affect him. Nylander’s way of handling it is to focus on what happens inside the locker room, rather than what is being said outside of it.William Nylander gave the Leafs another strong season in 2024–25. He scored 45 goals and added 39 assists for 84 points in the regular season. In the playoffs, he had six goals and nine assists in 13 games. The Leafs were eliminated in the second round.William Nylander says Mitch Marner was focused on Maple Leafs before Vegas moveIn Friday's interview with NHL.com, William Nylander spoke about Mitch Marner and shut down talk that he wanted to leave Toronto during the season. Nylander said:“I actually asked him during the season and he said he was concentrating on Toronto.”He described Marner as a “great teammate” and an “incredible person,” and said their playoff argument was made into more than it was. Marner joined the Vegas Golden Knights in July after signing an eight-year, $96 million contract. Nylander said he was happy for him but admitted he will be missed, both for his strong play and his role off the ice.Nylander will be starting his 11th season when the Maple Leafs face the Montréal Canadiens in their home arena on October 8.