Leafs’ William Nylander to miss game against Blue Jackets; Blais to make season debut

Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward William Nylander will not play Wednesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to head coach Craig Berube, as the winger continues to manage a lower-body injury.

Berube also said that forward Sammy Blais will make his Maple Leafs’ debut Wednesday night.

Nylander missed the Leafs’ Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres, but was back in the lineup for Tuesday’s contest against the Calgary Flames, which the team won 4-3.

Through nine games this season, the 29-year-old Nylander has three goals and 12 assists for 15 points, which leads the team.

Now in his 11th NHL season, Nylander, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, has 265 goals and 362 assists for 627 points in 694 career regular-season games.

The Swedish native has recorded three 40-goal seasons and four 80-point seasons, including a 98-point campaign in 2023-24.

Nylander has also played in 67 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 26 goals and recording 32 assists for 58 points. Last spring, the right-handed winger posted 15 points in 13 games.

Meanwhile, Blais hasn’t appeared in an NHL regular-season contest since April 2024. He has spent six of his eight seasons in the league with the St. Louis Blues, playing with the New York Rangers from 2021 to the trade deadline in February 2023.

Blais spent the 2024-25 season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, scoring 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 51 games, going on to help the team go on a Calder Cup playoff run. He scored six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 23 playoff games, helping the Canucks win the Calder Cup.

In 257 NHL games, Blais has scored 27 goals and 44 assists for 71 points, including eight points in 27 playoff games.