I saw a guy wearing a William Nylander jersey the other night at the TD Centre in Boston. Unfortunately, it was not William Nylander. So the whither-Willy saga has dragged on. Coach Sheldon Keefe was typically terse on the matter Tuesday morning, just before the Maple Leafs headed home.
Obviously no update today, because not much happening for us here today except for getting ready to travel. But he’s a possibility for us tomorrow, I guess, is all we would say.’’
The Leafs have been saying bugger-all about the 27-year-old all-star forward, neither if he was hurt nor ill. This don’t-tell don’t-ask posture has apparently been set by Toronto GM Brad Treliving.
Such is the aversion to revealing anything about Nylander’s circumstances that we don’t even get the cursory “upper body’’ or “lower body’’ flick-off. Which, if memory serves, was introduced into the vernacular by the late Pat Quinn. Even in expansive mood, the glowering Irishman would deflect a basic query — say, “Can he go?’’ — with a one-word rejoinder from the pull-down menu: “Probable.’’ “Questionable.’’ “Doubtful.’’
In Boston, reporters were left quizzing autograph-seekers outside the team hotel. “Did anybody see William Nylander get on the team bus?’’
Various teammates probed about Nylander by media desperate to confirm that he’d even made the trip to Beantown, disclosed nothing. Except Jake McCabe got tripped up in a scrum Sunday. “He seemed to be in good spirits today.’’ Immediately you could see the uh-oh in his eyes.
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