William Nylander gave the middle finger knowing he was on TV

Michaël Petit
William Nylander gave the middle finger knowing he was on TV
Credit: Screenshot | Twitter RDS

Things have been going from bad to worse for the Toronto Maple Leafs lately.

They don't necessarily have a bad record (24-19-9), but they're still five points out of a playoff spot.

This afternoon, the Leafs were playing at home against the Colorado Avalanche, and the game was one-sided.

A hat trick from Brock Nelson (who now has 14 goals in his last 16 games) gave Colorado a 4-1 victory.

The loss was Toronto's fourth in a row (all at home) and sixth defeat in seven games.

To add insult to injury, during the TSN broadcast, the camera pointed towards the press gallery where William Nylander, among others, was standing.

Let's just say he didn't have the best of ideas when he noticed he was on TV, so he decided to give the middle finger. All while looking directly at the camera…

The other players in the press gallery clearly didn't find it funny, unlike Nylander.

Things are definitely not going well in Toronto, and Nylander has decided to rebel and probably show his displeasure.

Obviously, it's discouraging to play in a club where the culture doesn't reign, but that's no reason to openly display your immaturity… Especially as a professional player who earns several million dollars a year.

“What did the fans do to deserve a middle finger? I don't understand how Leafs fans support the kids their team employs.” – HFTV

Without a doubt, his gesture doesn't sit well with fans and experts on social networks (with good reason).

Following the Leafs' defeat, the NHL Watcher page published a tweet mentioning that there must be important discussions regarding the team's future.

It makes you wonder if letting Mitch Marner go rather than trying to trade Auston Matthews (or William Nylander) was the right decision. Of course, we all know that Marner wanted to leave Toronto, but he can't be the only one as we speak.

Marner currently has 52 points in 50 games, which is still below what he's accustomed us to in the past. A big change (packing his bags from Toronto to Vegas) may explain this drop in production.

Auston Matthews has 42 points in 46 games this season.

As for Nylander, he has 48 points in 37 games and has always had tremendous value on the market. However, his action this afternoon was inexcusable and could well result in a trade (or consequences such as limited playing time).

It has clearly lowered his value, and other clubs would clearly be less inclined to go after him if a major deal were to happen.

One thing's for sure, there MUST be big changes within the organization, and it has to start with the players…


Overtime

– Incredible.

– It's a comeback for Linus Ullmark.

– He really is unstoppable.

– Read on.

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