Nylander returns to practice as Maple Leafs refocus on difficult climb ahead

TORONTO — It’s been three weeks since the Toronto Maple Leafs took the ice for an NHL game.

After a roller-coaster Olympic tournament wrapped up in Milan over the weekend and a week of practices for the non-Olympians to get back up to speed, the club took the ice Tuesday champing at the bit to get its season back up and running.

“I think everyone’s just refreshed,” Matthew Knies said from the Maple Leafs’ practice facility in Etobicoke, Ont., after the club’s Tuesday skate.

The time away was so lengthy, the winger said, that the return this week has felt like the start of a new campaign.

“This is quite possibly the longest break we’ve had in a season, so it definitely feels that way. … I feel like we’ve been waiting around to play, so we’re excited to get down to Tampa and get started again.”

For a select few on the roster, there’s a bit of recalibration needed first, though. A bit of time to process all that went on over in Milan, the moments of legacy-defining triumph and defeat. While Auston Matthews remains away from the team celebrating his gold medal with the Americans, William Nylander — whose Swedish side was eliminated by Team USA in the quarterfinals — rejoined the group Tuesday, the ghosts of that Olympic disappointment still nearby.

“It’s great to be back, nice to be back in Toronto. Tying to forget what happened in Milan,” the winger said with a smile.

No. 88 added he hasn’t spoken with Matthews since the Americans clinched gold Sunday, waiting to congratulate the captain in person.

“I’m super happy for him, and what he was able to accomplish there. I’m obviously upset that we lost. But, I mean, it was a great game and they did a great job. You know, it’s not an easy feat to win a gold medal.

“I told him to win it after they beat us, so I’m happy they did.”

For Nylander himself, the tournament was less of an escape from the tumult of the Maple Leafs’ season as the Tre Kronor waded through a difficult couple weeks themselves en route to an earlier-than-expected exit.

“It’s obviously very special,” he said of getting the chance to compete at the Games. “The thing that’s frustrating is it’s another four years ’til the next one. That’s where my mind has been the past couple days.”

But now, the focus shifts back to the blue and white. To the difficult climb ahead for these Maple Leafs. Toronto entered the Olympic break on a three-game win streak, taking down Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton on a western swing, but the club dropped eight of nine before that brief redemption stretch. All told, the Leafs enter a back-to-back against Tampa Bay and Florida over the next two days sitting six points out of a playoff berth.

The Maple Leafs know it’ll take a run of excellence over these final few months to earn a ticket back to the dance, a chance to potentially finish this campaign on a positive note. A hungry and motivated Nylander will be pivotal to that effort.

“He looks good,” head coach Craig Berube said after the winger’s return to practice Tuesday. “He’s ready to go. He feels good. He took a couple days to relax and rest up a little bit, and get over everything from an emotional level — the mental side of things, more than physical. Obviously the Olympics, it’s a grind over there for these guys. … It’s tough going over there and not winning. That was their goal and it didn’t happen. 

“But you know, they’re grown men, they’re athletes, they’re pros. They understand it and they move on. And they understand the importance of this team right now, where we’re at and what we need to do.”

Berube provided updates on a number of Maple Leafs heading into Wednesday’s tilt with the Bolts. John Tavares was absent from Tuesday’s skate while recovering from the flu, but was feeling better Tuesday and should get a skate in before tomorrow’s game, the coach said. Dakota Joshua, who’s coming off a lengthy recovery from a lacerated kidney, is ready to return, though Berube will manage his minutes through the early going moving forward. Both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll will play during the Florida trip, as expected, though Berube and Co. have yet to determine who starts Wednesday. The coach also mentioned he’s still mulling whether to reinsert young Easton Cowan back into the lineup after scratching the rookie for the final few games before the break.

Of course, a busy March, and the need to string wins together, means it’ll be all hands on deck for Toronto moving forward.

“We’re going to have to roll lines here. We’ve got a back-to-back coming out of the gate, so that’ll be critical, that we get everybody going,” Berube said. “We need everybody to be successful. That’s how I look at it. You look at the whole month — you’re going to need everybody in your lineup.”

None more so than their star Olympians, Matthews and Nylander. After an emotional two weeks in Italy, the duo will return to the Maple Leafs bench Wednesday — Berube expects Matthews to rejoin the team in time for the Bolts game — looking to get this train back on track. How they use their experiences on the international stage will be pivotal.

The hope is that Matthews returns ready to lead this group to redemption, too. That he returns brimming with confidence and belief heading into a home stretch that will require dominance from No. 34 if a playoff berth is to be claimed. For Nylander, there is no such medal-clinching performance to lean on. Only the hunger that comes from coming up short, the fuel for the fire, the motivation to pull any bit of success out of this tumultuous year. It starts Wednesday in Tampa Bay.

“The focus has shifted over to being here, and getting ready for what’s to come here down the stretch,” Nylander said. “It was nice to get a few days off, rest the body and the mind after that loss. I’m just getting fired up to come out and do our best, and make a push.

“We know that every game down the stretch isn’t going to be easy. Everybody’s battling. It’s so tight. You know, if it goes the way we want it to go, it’ll build character and add a lot to our team. I think it’ll be good for us.”