Nylander: 'Pretty wild' to enter top 10 on Leafs' all-time goals list
Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander was in disbelief when he cracked the top 10 on the franchise's all-time goals list during Friday's 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers.
"That's pretty wild to think like that," he said. "I mean, a lot of unbelievable players have played here, so obviously it's crazy to be 10th on that list, for sure."
Nylander climbed the ranks with his 251st career tally, drawing even with Bob Pulford while requiring 285 fewer games to hit the mark:
| Rank | Player | Goals | GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mats Sundin | 420 | 981 |
| T-2 | Darryl Sittler | 389 | 844 |
| T-2 | Auston Matthews | 389 | 606 |
| 4 | Dave Keon | 365 | 1062 |
| 5 | Ron Ellis | 332 | 1034 |
| 6 | Rick Vaive | 299 | 534 |
| T-7 | George Armstrong | 296 | 1188 |
| T-7 | Frank Mahovlich | 296 | 720 |
| 9 | Wendel Clark | 260 | 608 |
| T-10 | Bob Pulford | 251 | 947 |
| T-10 | William Nylander | 251 | 662 |
The Swede scored in the opening minute of the second frame at Madison Square Garden off a disrupted breakaway attempt. The play was initially ruled no goal, but a review showed the puck had completely crossed the line.
"I was gonna shoot it, but I kinda got hooked a little bit, so the puck ended up behind the net," Nylander said of the play. "I just tried to throw it in front, and then it was in the net. I don't really know what happened. ... I saw it cross the line, so I knew it was a goal."
The milestone moment came almost exactly nine years after his NHL debut on Feb. 29, 2016.
Nylander has the second-most goals in the league this season with 34, although he trails leader Leon Draisaitl by 10. Though it'll be difficult for him to pry the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy from the Edmonton Oilers superstar, Nylander is on pace for a career-high 47 tallies. He's also hit the 40-goal mark in his previous two campaigns.
It's been a season full of milestones for Nylander. He now sits 10th in all-time points (587) and assists (336) after overtaking Pulford in the former category Dec. 20 and Ted Kennedy in the latter just 11 days later.
Maple Leafs teammate Auston Matthews is also trying to make some headway on the club's all-time goals list. He's one tally away from taking sole possession of second place, but he hasn't scored in his last three games.
Toronto will look to win its fifth straight game Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 1 p.m. ET.