Nylander lobbies Berube for more minutes

Leafs winger William Nylander is averaging almost two fewer minutes of ice time so far this season under new coach Craig Berube. 

"That is a little bit what I've been trying to talk to 'Chief' about," Nylander said, "to get that ice time back to where it was before. I think it helps my game a lot [and helps me] do what I want to be able to do out there. So, yeah, hopefully that's something we can figure out."

Nylander, who is in the first year of an eight-year contract, is averaging 18:01 per game, which is down from 19:55 last season under former Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.

"I have no problem with it," Berube said of Nylander's request. "I do try and get him more. We talk about it. He killed penalties last year. He's not killing penalties this year, so that's a little bit of ice time there that's off. What I do is I try and get him out there, if deserved, as much as I can."

Nylander averaged one minute of shorthanded ice time per game last season, but isn't part of the penalty-kill rotation so far this year. 

"PKing is fun," the 28-year-old Swede said. "It's good to get in the game that way, I mean, if there's a lot of penalties and stuff like that. It will keep you going. Of course I miss PKing."

The Leafs have been taking a lot of penalties this season. They have been shorthanded 41 times, which is fifth most in the NHL. 

Berube smiled when asked what the ideal ice time would be for Nylander, who leads the team with six goals. 

"I don't focus on ice time so much," the veteran bench boss said. "I mean, I get Willy out there quite a bit. I mean, [in] a lot of key situations, obviously. But, you know, at the same time, I've said this all along, we want to be a good team, [and] everybody needs to be involved. So, I try to get Willy out there as much as I can."

Nylander's ice time may dip even more moving forward. On Monday, he was taken off the top power-play unit as the Leafs looked for a spark on the man advantage. What does Nylander think of the shake up? 

"I haven't really thought about it," he insisted. "Our power play hasn't been that good, so we'll see how it goes tonight."

Nylander led the Leafs with 35 power-play points last season. 

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Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev, 34, and Kraken winger Brandon Tanev, 32, have faced off plenty of times in the NHL, but this will be their first showdown in their hometown. 

"I don't think it's going to change much," said Chris, who signed with Toronto in the summer. "I'm just trying to beat him. He's trying to beat me. You grow up competing against each other in pretty much everything you do, so I don't think it's changed much over the course of our lives."

The brothers caught up with family and friends on Wednesday. They expect to have 40 relatives in the house on Thursday as the sibling rivalry is renewed. 

Chris grew up a Detroit Red Wings fan because of Steve Yzerman, while Brandon liked the Dallas Stars because of Mike Modano, but most members of the Tanev family are part of Leafs Nation. With Chris now in Toronto, will there be more blue Tanev sweaters than white ones among the family cheering section on Thursday? 

"He was definitely more of a troublemaker than me," Chris said with a smile. "So, I think I might take the favourite kid over him, anyways."

"That's probably correct," Brandon responded with a chuckle, "especially being from Toronto, and him wearing the Leafs jersey, I think the family will be cheering for him tonight."

The key to beating big brother in a 1-on-1 situation? 

"Just getting pucks in, playing physical," Brandon said. "Maybe not hitting him too hard or I'll get a phone call from mom afterwards ... You play against him as hard as you're going to play against anyone else."

"I think early on in my career, his teams definitely got the better of mine," Chris recalled. "I think lately it's sort of changed a little bit."

Chris' teams had a 3-1 edge last season. 

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TSN director of scouting Craig Button and analyst Mike Johnson projected Team Canada's roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off this week and had Tanev slotted in as the seventh defenceman. 

"Honestly, I just play hockey," said Tanev, who won gold with Canada at the 2016 World Championship. "I haven't seen any of that or anything. I'm just here to do my job and help the Toronto Maple Leafs win, build off our game last game, which was a really strong game at 5-on-5."

Tanev is all business, which is what makes him a popular teammate. Already, he's endeared himself to the Leafs with his blue-collar approach. 

"Incredible how good he is at getting in front of pucks and blocking shots and, you know, making those huge plays for the team," said Nylander. "Every night, it's incredible the way he sacrifices his body and plays in the D zone. It's a treat to see."

A trick for opponents who are trying to get shots through. Tanev leads the league with 38 blocks. 

"He's smart," said Leafs winger Bobby McMann. "He knows where to be. He understands our system so well and puts himself in good spots." 

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Kraken centre Shane Wright expects more than 30 friends and family members to be in attendance on Thursday as he plays his first NHL game in Toronto. 

"It's going to be special," the 20-year-old from Burlington, Ont. said. "I've been here at a couple games to watch and now to get the chance to actually play in here and in this building tonight, it's going to be a fun one."

Wright, who grew up a Pittsburgh Penguins fan because of Sidney Crosby, notes that his dad, Simon, is the most excited member of the family. 

"He was always a Leafs fan growing up. He came to a lot more games than I did when he was younger as well. It will probably be an even cooler moment for him than it will be for me."

After Wright slipped to fourth in the 2022 NHL draft, he received a text message from Leafs winger Mitch Marner, who was the fourth-overall pick in 2015. 

"Everyone could see a little frustration," Marner explained in an interview shortly after that draft. "I just wanted to text and say, 'Fourth's a nice pick. Nothing wrong with going fourth.' It's an exciting opportunity for him to prove himself."

"It means so much coming from a guy like him," Wright said on Thursday. "Just having his support and having him reach out and text me that is pretty cool ... Any time you get a text like that from a guy like him, it's going to resonate, it's going to stick in your head. It's always something you're thinking about." 

After playing eight NHL games in each of the previous two seasons, Wright is starting his first full year in the league. He has one goal and one assist through 10 games. 

"I think it's been okay," he said. "Still a lot of growing I can do, a lot of ways I can be better, a lot of things I gotta learn."

What's an area of focus right now? 

"Just holding on to pucks a little more and making plays," he said. "Sometimes I feel like I give it up a little too easy."

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The Leafs traded defenceman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. 

"We've been friends for a long time," said Nylander. "He's been here for a while, but that's the business. He'll get a great opportunity there and it'll be good for his career, so I'm happy for him."

Nylander called Liljegren shortly after the deal got done. 

"I said, 'It's sad, but that's business,' and I'm going to miss him a lot."

Liljegren, a first-round pick in 2017, had sat as a healthy scratch in nine of Toronto's 10 games. 

"Looking back at training camp, you know, guys just outplayed him a little bit," Berube said. "But he's got ability. He can, you know, skate, move a puck. You know, I wish him all the best. It just didn't work out here. That's the best way I can put it."

Conor Timmins has been the go-to guy on the right side of the third defence pair so far this season. Philippe Myers got a look in that spot in Saturday's game in Boston. Jani Hakanpaa, another right-shot defenceman, is "very close" to returning from a knee injury, per Berube. 

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Kraken defenceman Brandon Montour will miss the game after returning home for the birth of his daughter. 

Joseph Woll will make his second start of the season, Berube confirmed. 

Joey Daccord is expected to be in net for the Kraken. 

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Projected Leafs lineup for Thursday's game: 

F

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Pacioretty - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Domi - Holmberg
Lorentz - Kampf - Robertson 

D

Rielly - Ekman-Larsson 
McCabe - Tanev
Benoit - Timmins 

G

Woll starts 
Stolarz