Nylander hasn't been on the bench for some time this seems to be the issue
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Craig Berube says William Nylander will travel to Detroit with team following lower-body injury

Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
By Alex Hobson
Dec 27, 2025, 21:21 ESTUpdated: Dec 27, 2025, 22:26 EST
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube says that William Nylander will travel with the team to Detroit for the team’s game on Sunday, despite leaving Saturday’s contest with a lower-body injury.
That was the fullest extent of an update Berube would offer on his star winger’s injury status, after Nylander left the game just over halfway into the second period.
It’s unknown at the time how the injury was sustained, but Nylander appeared to leave the game just over halfway into the second period. Then, at second intermission, the Maple Leafs confirmed that he would not return. The video below shows the play it appeared to occur on, but doesn’t reveal what exactly happened and what caused it.
Nylander was slumping hard heading into the Leafs’ win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, with no goals in his past 11 games leading up to that game and only five assists in that span. He ended up exploding for two goals and two assists against the Penguins and had a goal in Saturday’s game against the Senators before leaving with the injury.
The 29-year-old spoke about his struggles following the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday, and admitted it was something he wasn’t used to.
“It’s just not going in, that’s the way it is,” Nylander said following Sunday’s game. I don’t know if I’ve felt like this before, or had a stretch like this. I’m not sure, I don’t feel like I’ve had that in the NHL, at least.”
Nylander is currently leading the Maple Leafs in points with 40 in 32 games on the season, and he’s two behind Auston Matthews for the team lead in goals. He was skating on a line with Matias Maccelli and John Tavares going back to Tuesday’s four-point outburst, and scored a power play goal in the first minute of Saturday’s game.
More on Nylander’s status for Sunday’s game in Detroit will be made available prior to the game.
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