I don’t mind the criticism of Nylander. It’s warranted when it’s warranted. He asks his coaches to hold him accountable, so when they do, he responds.
I get that people want him to have more of a defensive conscience (because that would make him in the upper echelon of elite), but the game is a balancing act of figuring out when to take risks and push through for offense, and when to sag back to absorb incoming attacks. Defense is moralized by the media (and coaches) because it’s all that most players and coaches can actually control.
Outside of the first overall picks on the team, it takes about 3-5 players to put up 40. Goals are what teams pay for because of the salary cap and he has more than made good on his cap hits. His skillset makes a teammates’ defensive effort count. He is linemate agnostic (they played him with Kampf and Holmberg and Engvall and he made it work more than anyone had right to expect without complaint), feeds tap ins as often as he finishes plays himself, and has played wherever and whenever coach wanted him too. They took him off PP1, made him PK for a bit, and no one threatened the team through the media about it.
Last I checked, the game is about scoring more than the other team, not trying to make sure nothing happens.
By the by, Mogilny was one of my favourite Leafs lol. I have a type.