Historically one of the most polarizing members of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Auston Matthews era, it should come as no surprise that opinions are entrenched when it comes to William Nylander playing centre. Now, with new head coach Craig Berube revisiting the idea, the discussion is back open once more. Let’s take a look at what the move could mean for the Leafs.
History
When Nylander was drafted there was a chance that he might be a centre, at times even thought of as his natural position. Coming up through the ranks there was often an effort made to play Nylander down the middle as well, including in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies. Granted, there was always a thought that Nylander might end up on the wing in the NHL, but for a time he might have been the Leafs top centre of the future. At the tail end of the Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel era, before Nazem Kadri truly finished developing, this was a welcome sight for a team long starved of elite centres.
Of course, everything changed for the Leafs after they won the draft lottery, with it the right to select Auston Matthews. The equation down the middle had forever changed, allowing the Leafs to ease Nylander into the NHL on the wing. Things changed once again when the team signed John Tavares as a free agent, clogging up the franchise’s centre ice position for at least the next half decade. Especially given that Matthews, Tavares, and Nylander were all offensive players, it dwindled appetite for Nylander at centre. Under an old school coach in Mike Babcock, the traditional role of a checking centre was unlikely to be challenged.
This did not stop Nylander from getting the occasional viewing down the middle. As a member of the Leafs, these were often short-term, desperation plays in high-leverage situations, including midway through playoff series. As recent as last training camp the Leafs experimented, again only briefly, and hardly long enough for it to have run its course. Take, for example, the late-season turnaround of Max Domi, who had yet to show much of anything by the time Nylander was back on the wing.
The high water mark for Nylander as a centre was with Team Sweden at the World Championships in 2017, where he was named tournament MVP, leading his country to a gold medal. While not in the NHL, this still serves as a proof of concept that he can succeed at a high level as a centre.
Lineup context
While Nylander is rightly thought of as more of an offensively-minded player, he is not without some defensive traits. Most notable is his ability to win the puck off of opponents with excellent stick-checking. Even along the boards, Nylander is able to win loose pucks with his stick. Still, there is no chance that Nylander should be deployed as a checking centre. The Leafs have three centre spots unofficially in stone, with David Kampf joining Matthews and Tavares.
With Kampf relegated to something of a fourth-line role, there is a clear opening down the middle. The Leafs have several imperfect options. It might be too soon for Fraser Minten, who projects as a stylistic fit for a third line centre role. Pontus Holmberg has the defensive awareness necessary, but is still asserting himself as a full-time NHLer. Calle Jarnkrok has played centre in the past, and might be a good fit in a checking role. Max Domi is more of an offensive option, though often grades out worse than Nylander does defensively.
Tavares had some success in more of a checking role last season alongside Bobby McMann, offering the chance for the Leafs to go with another more offensive option. This shuffles the deck enough that Nylander becomes one of the better options for the Leafs to explore. With Matthews’ near Selke Trophy worthy defending, Kampf’s role as a defensive specialist, and Tavares’ newfound role as a defensive option, the stage is set to aim for the moon with a dangerous offensive line.
Linemate options
For now, it seems the Leafs are deploying Nylander alongside Domi and Jarnkrok, both of whom can play centre. This might be an intentional iteration of a Nylander centred line, giving him some support to play to his strengths and attack freely. Domi does provide Nylander with a quality playmaker, while Jarnkrok gives the offensive duo some level of defensive conscience, and enough shooting talent to make good on his playmaking linemates. In some ways, this checks all the boxes in terms of supporting Nylander in this venture, outside of some runway to get into a rhythm.
It will be interesting to see how the Leafs switch up this line if and when the time comes. There is a balance that must be achieved between offensive and defensive linemates, as well as other skill sets that might complement Nylander. Perhaps Nicholas Robertson would be well served in an offensive role, though current PTO Max Pacioretty might be a better fit because of his heavier frame in a way that Matthew Knies or McMann might also be able to.
Offensively, Nylander can do it all, a playmaker, scorer, and transition specialist. Domi and Robertson might play off of those strengths, while a bigger, more direct player might better fit by bringing a different element. Pontus Holmberg is another centre option, though provides a Nylander line with less diversity of skills than Jarnkrok or Domi do.
Given Domi’s recent performance on Matthews’ wing, some might be ready for Mitch Marner to move off of Matthews’ line. This might free Marner up to play on Nylander’s wing. It is a funny quirk of the Matthews era Leafs that Marner and Nylander have rarely shared an even-strength line together, and Marner would provide more defensive support than Domi. Still, as the two best transition puck carriers on the team, it might be too much for Nylander and Marner to share a line, potentially leaving the Matthews and Tavares lines without enough support in this area.
In the end, we will have to wait to see how Berube juggles and shuffles his group. Based on his past work we should assume that each line will have a bigger body, or at least some sandpaper. Again, Nylander is adequately supported by the Domi and Jarnkrok duo in this regard, though perhaps not as much as could be. If there is a change to Nylander’s line, we should expect it to come in the form of a heavier player.
Organizational structure
Centres often command more salary than wingers, or are at least seen as slightly more important. With Nylander’s new cap hit kicking into place, a move to centre gives him a better chance at exceeding his cap value. In the short term, the Leafs core four will be at their most expensive. In the long term, this might clear up quickly and significantly given the pending UFA status of Tavares and Marner. No matter if either re-signs with the club and for how much, having the top two centre spots filled by Matthews and Nylander gives the Leafs a fantastic starting point for their forward core.
Tavares might opt to stick around for a lesser cap hit, but still, he is nearing the back end of his career. Nylander moving to centre insulates the Leafs from any losses to Tavares’ ability, even freeing him up for a move to wing down the line if need be. While the Leafs do have some notable centre depth, namely Minten and Jacob Quillan, they are without any slam-dunk succession plan for Tavares as a high end scorer. Wingers are certainly easier to come by than centres, be it via draft, trade, or free agency, again underscoring how important this venture is to the Leafs long term.
Though it may seem surprising to some at first, giving Nylander a legitimate shot to play centre is vital to the Leafs future, if not its present as well. Having a new head coach, and a new set of eyes, will refresh any qualms that might have been working against Nylander in the past. Not only is this the smart move, but the Leafs should be stubborn in giving it a long look. Even if Nylander struggles to find his footing through the fall portion of the 2024–25 regular season schedule, the Leafs should leave no stone unturned to make the most of the high-end position change.
Nylander clearly has the vision and skills to be a centre, but he has consistently taken strides in his all-around game, including his leadership. Even if he has been unable to play as an NHL centre in the past, he is better suited than ever to succeed. Despite being heralded as a motivator more than a tactician, coach Berube is showing that the Leafs are still being thoughtful, deliberate, and bold in becoming a better version of themselves. At the very least, this is an extremely encouraging sign.
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