Leafs’ William Nylander returns to lineup after six-game absence

The Toronto Maple Leafs will get a major boost to their lineup Saturday night.

Forward William Nylander will make his return against the Vancouver Canucks after a six-game absence with a lower-body injury, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

It will be the 29-year-old’s first contest in 2026 as he last played Dec. 27 in a 7-5 win over the Ottawa Senators. He left the game with an injury and did not return. The team placed him on injured reserve earlier this week, retroactive to the date of the Sens game.

Despite missing a total of 10 games this season, Nylander still leads the team in assists and points with 27 and 41, respectively. His points-per-60 rate of 3.9 is also the highest of his career.

Through 11 seasons, Nylander has 276 goals and 377 assists for 653 points in 718 regular-season games. He’s hit the 40-goal mark three times, including a career-high 45 goals in 2024-25. He finished with a career-high 98 points in 2023-24.

In the playoffs, Nylander has 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points in 67 games. Last spring, he led the team with 15 points in 13 games.

Going into Saturday night, the Leafs are 21-15-7 with 49 points, fifth in the division and two points out of a wild-card spot.

Auston Matthews, who has missed six games this season with injury, leads the team in goals with 21, which is tied for 17th in the league.

Among defenders, Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each have 20-plus points with 26 and 25, respectively.