Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade Kadri, JVR & Gardiner

Have the Best Centre Depth in the NHL:

There is no doubt that Auston Matthews is going to be one of the best players in the NHL. He pretty much already is. But both Nylander and Marner possess the potential to be close to as good.

All three are good enough to carry other players. So instead of wasting them on a single line or two, the Leafs should convert both Nylander and Marner into centres and give them each their own line.

Toronto maple leafs — Apr 4, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) skates against the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre. Washington defeated Toronto 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Both played centre in the minors and most of their life before joining the NHL. Doing this would give the Leafs an edge over ever single team in the NHL.

All three will make the players they play with better. The Leafs will have 3 x #1 centres and it will be extremely hard for other teams to cover them. If you have Auston Matthews, you don’t need a defensive centre – you just put him out against the other team’s best line every game, whenever you can. In the future, the Leafs won’t need Kadri to shadow McDavid, they’ll just put Matthews out against him.

Which means…..