The Toronto Maple Leafs actively prioritized the blueline and goaltending situation in NHL free agency. Aside from re-signing forward Max Domi to a four-year, $15 million contract, the Leafs haven’t significantly strengthened their lineup offensively. Beneath their star-studded ‘Core Four,’ the recurring question remains: Do they have enough depth at center, and if not, what’s the solution?
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On the first day of training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season, now-former Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told the media they would try winger William Nylander at center. The idea, sparked by general manager Brad Treliving, saw the Swede play the position for only a handful of preseason games before he was moved back to the wing for the regular season.
Now, with no significant free agency additions to bolster the center position, the conversation is being revisited: Could Nylander be the key to the Leafs’ depth down the middle? Jonas Siegel, a Leafs reporter for The Athletic appeared on TSN’s First Up on Thursday, expressing his beliefs that the Leafs should give it another try.
“Look what happened last year. I wrote this in the summer – I wrote a whole column. This makes sense. I don’t know why they don’t do this based on what they did in free agency – which was nothing as far as adding a center,” Siegel explained.
Siegel added, “They looked at it, it was too expensive, they didn’t add anyone. You go back to last year, the first day of training camp, the biggest story of the day (was that) they are moving William Nylander to center. Sheldon Keefe comes out and explains this was Brad Treliving’s idea. He wants to see Nylander at center.”
Siegel suggested that Keefe’s lack of belief in Nylander at center may have been the primary reason why the experiment was short-lived. For example, Keefe and Co. opted to select Fraser Minten out of training camp and slot him into the center role, despite Minten having no NHL experience. But now, with Treliving still at the helm and a new bench boss calling the shots, Craig Berube, Siegel is advocating for a second look at Nylander down the middle.
“I was like, ‘Let’s see this,’ and they give it a week. He doesn’t even play a regular season game,” Siegel said. “You put some of these pieces together, and you know the general manager wants to see this – he thinks there is something there. The previous head coach did not believe in it, clearly. He moved Fraser Minten into that spot when he had never played in the NHL before ahead of Nylander.”
Related: Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving on Fraser Minten Earning Spot With Team: This Is Not Charity
It’s not as though Nylander lacks experience at the position. The 28-year-old was drafted as a center and played up the middle for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies throughout his two seasons with the affiliate. Theoretically, the shift could create the Leafs’ depth up the middle as Auston Matthews, Nylander, and John Tavares – a reasonable trio with plenty of star power behind it.
As Siegel mentions, the alternative options include promoting David Kampf to the 3C role or shifting Domi to center – a position he played during parts of the 2023-24 postseason and various points in the regular season. Regardless, Siegel’s reasoning is simple: Nylander as a center could potentially solve one of the Leafs’ most pressing issues upfront. It would allow the team to spread its offensive talent across three lines, creating a more balanced attack. Besides, if it succeeds, Siegel points out he could provide the Leafs with a top-two center for the next four years alongside Matthews.
“You look at their puzzle pieces and what are they going to do. Why would they not give Nylander another look at center and try to go with Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares as their three centers?” Siegel asked. “I just think it makes sense, and it’s something I’ve been working out in my head and I have a hunch that I’m going to be right.”
Related: William Nylander at Center? It Looks Like the Maple Leafs Will at Least Try It
“What’s a better option? Tell me what the better option is. Do you want to go back to having David Kampf as the third center? Do you want to have Max Domi as your third center? What do you want to do? I think this gives them the opportunity to build some depth through three lines. I think it’s the best play long-term honestly to see if this can work. Suddenly, if you make Nylander a center and it works, now you have your top two centers for the next four years.”
Nylander has significant offensive upside, posting career highs in assists (58), points (98), and tying his career-high in goals (40) in the 2023-24 season. The forward’s eight-year, $92 million contract extension kicks in this fall, and while some might argue that moving Nylander back to center would come with risks, the potential rewards may be worth the gamble. At the very least, it’s an option the Leafs could explore more seriously than they did last season.
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