Where is this coming from, he was fine today.

I thought nylander has played well on the top line - I always thought a change of scenery would benefit him. Buffalo isn’t great at developing prospects

20 goals and 50 points is not out if the question for Nylander this year IMO.

Lol

Maybe a little much unless top line is just going off and Kane puts up a lot...but I agree
Also that trade did something to Nylanders Ego...that's why he is playing good now, he was very lazy as a Sabres prospect

Yeah he looked fine to me there. I'm not a huge fan of keeping him on that line, but seems like JC is. I did see Drake play a number of shifts with Toews/Kane for some shifts, but Nylander didn't see out of place (to me) against Berlin. Bigger ice for sure. Makes me now curious is the Flyers game will be on large ice too? I honestly don't know that answer to that. Anyone else?

***EDIT*** definitely agree with you that Wedin should make the team. I'm not sure he will because he can slide and Perlini can't, but we'll see.

Nylander's problem in Buffalo was that he was addicted to Fortnite and didn't care about anything other than whether the boys were dropping at Haunted Hills or Lazy Links. He'll be a good player, just keep the xbox controller out of this mans hands and watch him soar

He wasn't "fine" that's why they brought up Caggs for the 2nd period and JC and Crow (the assistant coach) were seen talking to him on the bench. Nylander looks lost out there more often then not. He doesn't really add to the Kane and Toews line so far, he's just filling a void. Caggs at least adds another dimension. Now they did bring back to that line in the 3rd period, but I don't see the chemistry clicking. Perlini was solid and I'd rather see him given a chance on that line right now given the body of work Nylander has shown in the preseason.

Not a good take. Nylander will start on the top line in the global series, and there's nothing we can do except root for his success. Personally I like the dynamic of Cagg's and Nylander rotating 1st and 3rd line minutes during the game, as I think they both bring valuable things to that line.

There is a great analysis done in the Athletic on Nylander in the last 2 weeks if you have a subscription. It's supported with video clips and professional scout analysis. It is exactly what I'm saying.

1) Nylander has a lot of raw talent, nobody is doubting that.

2) Nylander plays zero defense and it's so bad that he'll be watching a board battle against one of his teammates getting double teamed 6 ft in front of him and does nothing but wait or hoping the puck pops out to him.

3) Nylander is not reacting quick enough to the play. Watch as soon as the puck leaves his stick he pauses before he moves. His hesitation is junior level hockey. Notice when Kane or Cat or Strome or Toews moves the puck they are already skating to a place on the ice to position themselves. Nylander doesn't do this in stride, there is a hesitation every single time.

4) I don't believe his appeared laziness on the ice from what I've seen of him the last few years is truly laziness. It's his hesitation, like the game is moving too fast for him right now to compute. Beyond hesitation and non existent defense, he often finds himself skating out of position away from the play.

Look, I get that he has raw talent that is obvious. I also I'm realistic to know that Toews and Kane will make most players look a lot better then they really are...Caggs as an example. I just think Nylander needs to work harder on the pro game naturally coming to him so he can use that talent he has. Frankly, a lot of european players in general struggle with this transition. The ice is less compact then in North America and slows the game down by simple physics and the game is a lot less physical in Europe. You can't rely as much on raw talent in North America alone, you have to rely on positioning, anticipation, hockey IQ, there is no room for error on NA ice. Nylander is having trouble adjusting still IMO. We as fans in NA are more familiar with the players that adjust well to this, but believe me, there are a lot more players from Europe that can't adjust and that's why they are still playing there. I have a few former teammates that went over to play in Europe, specifically Germany and Swiss leagues, after their NHL/AHL careers didn't take off and they thought the game required more endurance but was a slower game, less precise, less physical and more room for error; you could see that watching yesterday's game.

I have zero problem giving him 20 games in the NHL, but hopefully Bowman isn't pigheaded if he can't pull it together and allows JC to move him down to the Hogs and let another player play up. Hands down, both Kubalik and in my opinion Wedin have earned the right to play over Nylander...ironically both European players in their first year on NA ice. Even Perlini, at this point, has looked better then Nylander. Again, I'm not giving up on him as his raw talent is better then any of those guys, but I don't want this experiment to drag on all season when Kane and Toews don't have many years left in their prime.