Berube: Nylander OK after leaving game with injury

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube tempered any fears about William Nylander's status when asked about the star forward following a preseason win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

"He'll be OK. He's fine. Nothing to worry about," Berube said postgame, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.

Nylander exited the Maple Leafs' 2-1 victory after hitting his head on Canadiens forward Christian Dvorak's leg in the first period.

Toronto winger Nick Robertson was attempting to give Nylander a boost from behind with his stick, but he ended up knocking his teammate down and into Dvorak.

Nylander immediately went to the dressing room and wasn't on the bench to start the second frame. The Leafs then ruled him out for the rest of the contest as a precaution without specifying the nature of the injury.

The Maple Leafs star enjoyed a breakout year in 2023-24, totaling a career-high 98 points (40 goals and 58 assists) in 82 contests. The 28-year-old put pen to paper on an eight-year, $92-million extension in January.

Nylander added three tallies in four appearances during Toronto's opening-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins this past spring. He missed the first three games of the series because of migraines.