William Nylander had to get some advice from his dad, former NHL player Michael Nylander, last week.

What to do when the Maple Leafs rookie was hearing trade rumours that involved his name?



“You just see some stuff on Twitter when you get tagged,” Nylander said.



“You don’t really go and read stuff about yourself. Social media was not that big when he was playing. He just said there is nothing you can control and the next day Mike (Babcock) told me that, so there is nothing to worry about.”



Still, that his name was being bandied about took the younger Nylander aback.



“It comes as a surprise,” Nylander said. “It was the first time, so I didn’t really know what to think.”



Nylander will be looking to pick up his game a bit when the Leafs play host to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday as they kick off a stretch of six home games in their next seven overall.



Nylander has 16 points in 23 games, but just four have come at the Air Canada Centre.



DUBNYK HAS NO DOUBTS



He leads the NHL with an eye-popping .946 save percentage, so maybeDevan Dubnyk can afford to say he likes the entertainment value the young players across the league are bringing.



“Coming from Edmonton (where the Wild beat the Oilers on Sunday), with Connor(McDavid) there, it’s nice to have players like that, with the explosiveness and offensive ability they have.



“It’s an exciting time for Toronto. (Auston) Matthewsis exciting, MitchMarner is playing great. This is the centre of it all here in Toronto. Any time you can have those guys playing here, it’s a good thing.”



As for his high save percentage, and 1.63 goals-against average, Dubnyk said there are several reasons.



“It’s tough to pinpoint one thing,” Dubnyk said. “It has been a lot of fun playing with these guys. Great chemistry, they are allowing me to make comfortable reads and be patient. Hopefully I can return the favour for them.



“I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t know what the numbers are. I’m happy to be having this conversation. Much better than being the other way.”



LOOSE LEAFS



It wasNazem Kadri’s turn to miss practice on Tuesday with illness after Matt Martinwas absent for the same reason on Monday. Martin returned to practice on Tuesday, and there was no indication Kadri would not play versus Minnesota. Defenceman Matt Hunwick, who had a maintenance day on Monday, also returned. The expectation is the defence pair ofConnor CarrickandFrank Corrado will sit out against the Wild … The Leafs could learn soon the decision of an independent arbitrator as it pertains to theJared Cowen buyout. If Cowen wins, the Leafs would have to assume his $3.1-million salary cap hit this season, something they can’t afford and likely would lead to placing a player, whether it’s Joffrey Lupul, Stephane Robidas orNathan Horton, on long-term injured reserve. If the arbitrator rules in the Leafs’ favour, they will continue to get a $650,000 cap credit for Cowen and be on the hook for a $750,000 hit next season … The Leafs have a 6-3 record overall versus the Wild in Toronto, but have lost the past two Wild visits, both by a 2-1 score.