William Nylander’s New Year’s resolution may have been the same as his Christmas wish: to finally bag his first goal of the season.

The left winger has played 11 games without a goal since his contract impasse with the Maple Leafs came to an end, and the slump has taken on a life of its own.

Teammate Nazem Kadri knows what that’s like, struggling to score in a hockey hotbed where you’re constantly reminded of it. Kadri — who went 12 games without a point in one stretch last season — said at Monday’s practice that he learned a lot from dealing with that pressure while getting his offence back on track.

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Nylander’s burden is compounded by the fact that he just signed a six-year contract worth close to $42 million U.S., raising expectations. He hasn’t looked at all like the 61-point producer he’d been the last two seasons — save for a few flashes — although his defensive game has improved.

“I want to get better. I’m not happy (about the slump) at all,” Nylander said. “I’m working to get better every game and I feel like it’s coming.”

Leafs coach Mike Babcock is doing what he can to help. Last week, he talked about showing Nylander video of his best moments in a game to boost his confidence. The coach also moved Nylander onto Auston Matthews’ line. The pair showed good chemistry last season, and Nylander had five shots in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders. That pairing might stick Thursday night when the Leafs host the Minnesota Wild.

“When you come back and you have an expectation for yourself, and then it doesn’t go so good, it puts pressure on you,” Babcock said of Nylander, whose two assists this season both came in his third game. “So how do you handle that? Don’t get in your own way … just come and play and compete real hard.

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“You get one to go in, and it probably goes in off your butt … and it’s amazing how the weight of the world comes off. That’s what we’re hoping.”

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There’s pressure, sure, but Nylander has always appeared to have the mental makeup to overcome it. At Monday’s practice, a smiling Nylander showed up minus several inches trimmed from his familiar blond locks.

“My aunt is in town and she cuts my hair, so I was like: Yeah, we have to do it,” Nylander said.

Was it a New Year’s resolution, or was he searching for a good-luck charm?

“You never know,” he said. “We’ll see.”

After that scrum, Nylander retreated to a private corner of the Leafs’ dressing room. In the room, he’s had plenty of support from young teammates and veterans, who simply tell him to be himself and help the team any way he can.

At practice, Nylander warmed up with a weighted stick, similar to the weighted bats baseball players use to get loose. The idea is to make his regular stick feel lighter, which might help.

He thinks he’s close to breaking out of the slump at last: “I felt better the last game, and I feel like I’m getting the (conditioning) back.”