Don’t expect to see William Nylander in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey just yet.
The 19-year-old centre is currently tearing it up with the AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, but that doesn’t mean a call-up to the big club is coming — yet.
Sportsnet’s Damien Cox made it clear the goal-starved Maple Leafs are in no rush to bring up their young talent, opting to set a foundation first.
“It’s not a question if Nylander is ready for the NHL or the Leafs, but whether the Leafs are ready for him,” Cox said during Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “They want a foundation — a team playing all one kind of way — before they bring up him or any of their better young players.”
While the Leafs’ rebuild is certainly a slow-and-steady process, the team is making small strides and showing signs that that foundation is starting to take shape.
Nylander, 19, has seven goals and seven assists in 12 games with the Marlies this season. He was drafted eighth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2014.