Leafs' Nylander: 'I look forward to dominating' after down season

William Nylander has turned the page after his tumultuous 2018-19 campaign.

"Last year's gone," Nylander told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston on Thursday. "Out of the books, really, except for maybe taking some stuff that I learned. I look forward to dominating.

"I'm confident in how I am as a player, so I'm not too worried about it."

The Toronto Maple Leafs winger never got on track last season after his contract dispute lingered all the way to the Dec. 1 deadline and culminated in a six-year, $45-million contract. After finally returning to the lineup, his production failed to meet the standard he set during his first two full campaigns.

Nylander finished the regular season with just 27 points in 54 games before adding a goal and two assists in Toronto's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.

The 23-year-old, despite impressive underlying numbers, was saddled by an abnormally low shooting percentage of 5.4 during the regular season and had to shift to third-line center in the postseason due to Nazem Kadri's suspension.

While his NHL numbers underwhelmed, Nylander had a terrific World Championship for his native Sweden in May, posting a tournament-best 18 points through eight games in Slovakia.

"I look back at that season and there were little ups and downs," Nylander said. "There were games where I would play well and nothing would happen and that's just how the game goes. Learning through that time period has helped and given me experience and stuff to use for whenever that happens again.

"Now I'm ready to dominate this year."

With training camp set to open Sept. 13, the Maple Leafs are once again burdened by contract negotiations as restricted free agent Mitch Marner remains unsigned.