Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Move Nylander to Centre or Acquire One?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have an abundance of wingers and with Nylander being a natural centre, it might work out well for them.
William Nylander has been fantastic with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mainly playing with line mates Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman. His great chemistry with Matthews has paid off well since they were first put together in the 2016/17 season.
With Tyler Bozak likely leaving Toronto, there will be a void at centre needing to be filled.
Nylander notched 61 points in each of his last two seasons, scoring at least 20 goals in both. Having Nylander on the wing with Matthews has benefited both players tremendously. Besides Marner, they are the only players on the team that can really keep up with each other. A lot of games you can really see them start to control the pace and they’re just too quick to contain.
Acquiring a centreman to add to the current line-up wouldn’t be the worst idea. If the Leafs really wanted to keep Matthews and Nylander together, they can look around to add another man down the middle. He scored 46 points last season, is a good faceoff man and plays lot of shorthanded minutes. Adding a defensive forward like a Jordan Staal would work really well for the team. The only thing is that he is getting paid $6 million annually. That contract would make things a little more difficult, but it by pulling some strings, I’m sure Dubas and figure something out.
Staal
Staal is 29 years old and his contract goes through 2022/23. He would be playing with the Leafs long past his better days.
Some additional players that could work as another centre option are Mikael Backlund or Mikael Granlund. Different styles of play, but both players are playing good hockey and are somewhat affordable. Backlund is on a bit of a lengthy contract till 2023/24 with a $5,350,000 cap hit. He finished last season with 45 points last season with the Calgary Flames.
Granlund is more offensive than these other two options, scoring 67 points last season with Minnesota. The Finnish forward has had plenty of experience playing either wing as well, making him a little more versatile. Granlund is only 26 with a $5,750,000 cap hit with next season being the last of the contract. He is likely reaching the prime of his career, so he does have potential to get better, unlike Staal or Backlund. Acquiring another scoring threat is never a bad idea, but in Toronto’s case, it isn’t necessary.
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In my opinion, acquiring a new centre can get a little pricey so it might not be a good idea. On the other hand, if we can get a decent centre for $5 million or less, it can work out very well.
Nylander is adjusting well to playing centre, he just has to bring the same fire with everyone else that he has with Matthews.
stats from hockey-reference.com, capfriendly.com