Keep in mind that all the players you mentioned on the Leafs are still 23 and under. I would love to see Nylander play with a bit more gumption, doesn't need to hit people just get in there a little more. He could easily become one of the best two way forwards in the game if he increased his intensity just a little. Nylander is probably the most harshly criticized player in TO and possibly the league right now and most of it is entirely unfair. The kid could have the most raw skill in TO after Matthews but gets rail roaded constantly for a number of reasons, many of which are completely out of his control. He isn't terrible defensively like people say, he isn't great in his own zone but he's not terrible either, far from it. He isn't very physical but he's a skilled guy, he doesn't have to be. He is so smooth that many think he doesn't look like he's trying but that is just his mannerisms, he tries very hard. Many say he disappears in the playoffs but last for example he was actually pretty good, he tilted the ice in his favour and if he would have had any one on his wings that could score (Brown and Marleau couldn't score to save their lives), he would have had more points in the playoffs than what he had which I believe was 1 goal and 3 assists in 7 games. Which really isn't that bad, it should have been higher but Brown took a wide open net and shot it at Rask at one point. I could have scored on that play.

Nylander isn't the problem on this team, nor is anyone like him. They just need to mesh more and hone their identity and they'll be fine. I haven't really been worried about them at all this year. They are a good team and they will be a force once they get all the kinks ironed out. Their problems aren't major and they are not in danger of missing the playoffs (of course injuries can change all that).

Compare them to Edmonton for example. Edmonton has some pretty big problems still, they have essentially no one after their top line and the team is playing way above their ability. What happens when they hit their likely average? They may still make the playoffs but they aren't a team that is going to survive a major injury or any kind of drought from their top players. What if their goalies struggle for a bit? TO's had a lot of things go wrong to start the season and they weathered it and are still above average. Looking at Florida or Montreal or Buffalo, all of those teams are good but they have some issues that are very hard to deal with. Florida I just can't really get a bead on, they are either terrific or not very good from one night to the next. Montreal has a lot of depth upfront but their defence isn't very mobile outside of Petry and Mete. Buffalo still has depth issues and goaltending issues and they could struggle as well. None of those teams have faced adversity yet, how will they look when they do?

The point I am making is TO is at worst an average team, what are they going to be when they are at their best, which we haven't seen for an extended period of time yet.