The Toronto Maple Leafs Need a Second-Line Centre

The Toronto Maple Leafs need a centre to play behind Auston Matthews.

While John Tavares has filled the role over the last six seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it may be time to get someone else in that position.

I make this point because I agree with calls for the Leafs to move Tavares to the wing.

Of course, Tavares is still a very good NHL centre, but his production declined by 15 points last season, and despite excellent advanced stats that suggested he was mostly getting unlucky, he is 33 years old and his career as an elite player could be extended by moving him to an easier position.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Need a Second-Line Centre

Tavares doesn’t seem quite fast enough to keep up with players like William Nylander. As such, why not try someone else out in that role? But that’s the problem. Unless they move Marner's position, the Maple Leafs don’t really have anyone who could fill that role.

Sheldon Keefe tried Nylander at centre with mixed results. Max Domi played down the middle last season but he needs to be sheltered so much it throws off all the other lines, and he was clearly more effective with Matthews than anywhere else.

Who knows, perhaps someone like Pontus Holmberg could get an opportunity to centre a line with Tavares and Nylander on the wings.

The ideas above are worth trying. The worst thing the Leafs could do is nothing. However, a permanent solution is needed to address the Maple Leafs centre depth. The players on the current roster could work in bottom-six roles. Still, there’s no guaranteeing they could handle second-line centre duties throughout a full season and playoffs.

There was a time when the Maple Leafs had the best centre depth in the league. Tavares centred the top line with an up-and-coming Matthews playing behind him. Nazem Kadri was slated to be the third-line centre on a Leafs team with plenty of potential.

However, Kadri forced his own way out of town when he was suspended for two straight game-sevens and no franchise on earth would have brought him back. So, off to Colorado went Kadri.

Fast-forward several seasons later, Kadri won a Cup in Colorado, and the Leafs are thin at centre. Fellow Editor in Leaf writer James Tanner suggested moving Mitch Marner to centre in an interesting piece. It’s an idea worth pursuing. Marner has the skills and overall instincts to play down the middle. Perhaps a Marner-Tavares-Domi line could work very well behind a Matthews-Knies-Nylander top unit.

However, the reality is that the Leafs need to find a second-line centre. The club needs someone to replace John Tavares, and whether that is this season or when his contract expires, it won't be long until they have no choice.

In my estimation, GM Brad Treliving will need to find someone on an expiring contract who is willing to come to Toronto and, hopefully, extend him. Otherwise, we may be looking at a second of musical chairs at centre.

I would much rather see a supposed Stanley Cup contender like the Toronto Maple Leafs find a reliable number-two centre to take the pressure off Matthews and the main unit.