Toronto Reporter Compares Leafs' William Nylander to IKEA Furniture

William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs is one of the most skilled players on the team. At 24-years-old and making $6.9 million, Nylander's contract also happens to be one of the more affordable deals in the league for someone who scores 30-plus goals. Regardless, he's long been the whipping boy in Toronto and on Wednesday Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun absolutely blasted Nylander for no apparent reason.

William Nylander is like buying furniture from IKEA with the instructions somehow missing from the package

TORONTO SUN FRONT: No second-line production? No real hope for the Maple Leafs from @simmonssteve: https://t.co/oYGC3DZfbK pic.twitter.com/QAq7tyR6ek
— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) February 17, 2021

Harsh words for someone who scored 59 points last season, including 31 goals in 68 games. So far this season, Nylander has 12 points in 16 games and is currently tied for fourth on the team in scoring only behind John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Let's dive into the numbers here and see where Nylander's underlying digits lie:

William Nylander, the source of all the Leafs' problems, is a good 1st line winger who can score and pass at a high level. He's also an abomination to the sport of hockey who is personally responsible for everything that has ever gone wrong in Toronto. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/KRKmtt1hEW
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 17, 2021

Let's See What Everyone Thinks of Steve Simmons:

Steve Simmons is like when you buy furniture from Walmart and you know it's gonna suck but the Walmart is nearby and I mean it's just a shoe rack no need to get fancy but none of your shoes fit on it and it breaks when you try to put your boots on it
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 17, 2021

Photo credit: Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire

Kyle Dubas revoke steve simmons credentials challenge
— Marlies All Day (@LeafsAllDayy) February 17, 2021

Is Steve Simmons a sorry excuse for a hockey reporter who relies on cheap insults to get views? Yes.

But is he also hated by the entire Leafs organization to the point that he was specifically called out publicly by Auston Matthews? Also yes.
— Mer (@MerOutLoud) February 17, 2021

This seems QUITE offensive.

And plainly inaccurate as far as hockey "analysis" goes. And we're Habs fans. https://t.co/0rJyuIeAOq
— Habs Chronicle (@HabsChronicle) February 17, 2021