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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – William Nylander stayed on the ice so long after Maple Leafs practice on Monday, the dressing room was deserted (save for media) by the time he called it a day.

With Tyler Bozak sidelined by illness, Nylander had just finished his first extended session of the season as a centre. The sophomore has slotted in sporadically at morning skates, but on Monday he was the middle man for James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner for the entirety of the day’s drills.

When called upon, Patrick Marleau has been the Leafs' preferred centre substitute this season. That increases the likelihood Nylander was just a placeholder for Bozak, but he did enter the NHL as a centre and take reps there during the 2015-16 season. Head coach Mike Babcock said last April he wouldn't move Nylander this season, but does Monday's practice now signal a possible position change on the horizon?

“I don’t know. I’m just trying to win the game against Calgary, let’s go from there,” Babcock said. “It’s something where, who knows? If we’ve got to use him, we’ll maybe try him there.”

It was just days ago that Babcock was defending Nylander and Marner from a growing chorus of critics who seem to only notice their deficiencies. After a strong end to his rookie season and an MVP-worthy turn with gold-medal winning Sweden at the World Championships, Nylander seemed destined to avoid any hint of a sophomore slump.

Yet the transition to Year 2 hasn't been entirely smooth. Nylander has racked up only five goals and 15 assists ­– over 28 games. Six of those points have come in his last seven games, after he broke out of a well-documented 12-game goal drought. He’s played on every one of the Leafs' lines this season, but has yet to find a combination where he thrives.

It was Babcock who pointed out that Nylander may not be dominating the scoresheet, but he’s producing at the same scoring pace as he was as a rookie (the numbers are nearly identical – Nylander had six goals and 14 assists in his first 28 games last season). A coach’s public vote of confidence never goes unnoticed by a player, but Nylander also has loftier goals than being “as good” as before.

“[Points] come when they come, but you try not to think about it too much,” Nylander said. “Maybe same thing as last year – I started well and then got in a little dip after, but hopefully we’re getting out of that now.”

Nylander went through a 27-game stretch from October to December as a rookie where he scored only four goals. Once he got over that hurdle, the consistency in his game was much improved, and he’s aiming to find it again. It's a taller task when the element of surprise with his opponents is long gone, but Nylander doesn’t accept tougher matchups as any excuse for stagnant production.

“You have high expectations for yourself, so it doesn’t matter who you play against,” he said. “You still want to produce.”

Leo Komarov sees a lot of Nylander, not just from his adjacent stall in the Leafs’ room, but also on the ice when Nylander is rounding out his line with Nazem Kadri. The veteran has watched the 21-year-old’s confidence blossom this season ­– even amid buzz from the outside that he’s lost his swagger.

“I think it’s a lot of just people talking. We know what’s going on with this team,” Komarov said. “Everyone knew he was a great player, but he’s even better this year than last. …Playing in Toronto, everyone is always talking about this or that, but I think from what I see they’re doing really good and we’re winning games and that’s the most important thing.”

One of the only Leafs to boast first-hand experience playing alongside Nylander at centre is Zach Hyman. He flanked Nylander when they were with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and again in early 2016 with the Leafs. Should Toronto need Nylander to step back in at centre, Hyman sees his speed and skating as the ultimate assets to make it a smooth transition. As for the din of questions surrounding Nylander’s performance this season, Hyman shrugs them off the same way he does interrogations about his own top-line positioning. It simply comes with the territory.

“I think he handles it well, and everyone gets [talked about here, it’s not just one player,” he said. “Everyone knows how he feels. But I think it’s a good thing. You want to be in a position where you have pressure and in a market that appreciates you and that cares. People want to talk about the Leafs and he gets that. At the same time, when you go through tough stretches it’s hard but everyone has them. He’s a good player and he’s confident in himself.”