Nylander: Hard to 'stay optimistic' with Maple Leafs reeling

William Nylander is in uncharted territory.

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has made the postseason every year of his career aside from his debut campaign in 2015-16, when Nylander was called up late in the season and only appeared in 22 games for a rebuilding team.

However, Nylander's Maple Leafs are poised to see their nine-year playoff streak - the longest active streak in the league - come to an end. Toronto is 11 points out of a playoff spot and owns a 0.1% chance to make the postseason entering Tuesday's games, per MoneyPuck.

Nylander admitted it's been difficult to stay positive, especially since the Maple Leafs are riding an 0-5-2 skid since the Olympic break and sold at the deadline.

"Hard to really stay optimistic in this situation," Nylander told reporters ahead of Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, per TSN. "Just try to get a win tonight."

Nylander added that he "wouldn't have believed" someone if they told him at the beginning of the year that Toronto would wind up in its current position.

The 29-year-old said he holds out hope that this is just a one-off and the Maple Leafs will return to contention in 2026-27.

"I sure hope that that's the case," he said.

Nylander leads the Maple Leafs with 59 points this season despite only appearing in 47 of the team's 64 games due to injury. He's in the second season of an eight-year, $92-million contract.