Leafs HC Craig Berube gets 100% honest about William Nylander’s reduced minutes on ice

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke about William Nylander’s recent drop in ice time. Nylander averaged around 17 minutes per game in the last five games and nearly 15 and a half minutes in his games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. This is lower than his season average of 19 minutes and 35 seconds.

This also reflects William Nylander's performance over that stretch: while he scored only three points, he played a crucial offensive role in the team's offensive strategies. Nylander scored two goals in the 5-0 Columbus Blue Jackets shutout win on Apr. 5.

Speaking to the media before Saturday's game at Montreal Canadiens, Craig Berube said he didn’t realize William Nylander’s minutes were down but explained why.

[3:03] "Well, I didn't even know he hasn't," Berube said. "The game. Yeah, it's just the game. I mean, I think the back-to-back games, I was, you know, obviously trying to keep the forward minutes down as much as possible.

Berube then explained how Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews play more because they kill penalties.

"I mean Mitch and Matty get up there at times with penalties, right? They're killing and they're out in the boards first, so they eat a lot of PK minutes up," Berube said. "And I think that's where their minutes get high. But if you look at the five-on-five minutes overall, I think they're pretty close. I mean, I've been rolling four lines quite a bit lately."

Craig Berube's approach will also help keep everyone fresh before the playoffs. And he sounded confident in Nylander’s ongoing role.

William Nylander has 44 goals and 38 assists in 78 games this season. He is one of Toronto’s most consistent scorers, hitting the 40-goal mark for the last three seasons. He also had a 98-point season last year, which was his career high.

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Craig Berube talked about Maple Leafs' approach to playoffs

Craig Berube also spoke about the team’s status as the playoffs get near. He said the team is in good shape and the Leafs are fighting for the division title.

"I think we’re in good shape," Berube said on Saturday. "You want to finish by playing good hockey down the stretch — that’s important. We’re fighting for our division, and that matters. At the same time, you’re managing everything. We’re shorthanded on the back end tonight, with a couple of defensemen out."

Craig Berube joined the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, bringing Stanley Cup experience from his time with the St. Louis Blues.