Line Combos: Nylander as a Center Discussion

[notDatsyuk]

Willy is a natural center. He would be a very good upgrade playing 2C, skating ability alone. Keep the 11m man on top line. Would be nice to pick up a digger or two with some grit. Until then Gambrell & Robertson will fill in.

JT - Matthews - Marner
Bertuzzi - Nylander - Domi
Knies - Jarnkrok - Lafferty
Reaves - Kampf - Holmberg
Gambrell - Robertson

Jt barely belongs on the second line anymore, let alone the top line.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

Line 1 - 22 mins/game

Line 2a and 2b - 15 mins each

Line 4 - 8 mins

I see nothing wrong with this.

So give nylander and Tavares both 3rd line minutes? Not a chance

They’ll both get at least 17 minutes? Could probably be more, but it won’t be less

 

[Avilaj07]

It won't be a secret, teams will know where he is going. I don't think leverage is that big a deal. Teams do favours for each other all the time.

I'd rather have him around the team, have the Leafs handle his rehab.

How much cap space do you think they'll need?

It's not about it being a secret or not, it's about giving yourself some wriggle room to figure out your cap situation. I really don't see how it's so hard to understand. You sign Kane now, you're just making it that much more difficult when it comes time to take him off the LTIR. Let's say one of our players get hurt prior to December and they're put on the LTIR. Suddenly you have cap space to sign Kane without having to make a trade or anything. You sign Kane now, now you're either forced to trade money out and take nothing back, or you're banking on someone getting hurt long term.

 

[ACC1224]

It's not about it being a secret or not, it's about giving yourself some wriggle room to figure out your cap situation. I really don't see how it's so hard to understand. You sign Kane now, you're just making it that much more difficult when it comes time to take him off the LTIR. Let's say one of our players get hurt prior to December and they're put on the LTIR. Suddenly you have cap space to sign Kane without having to make a trade or anything. You sign Kane now, now you're either forced to trade money out and take nothing back, or you're banking on someone getting hurt long term.

I understand what you're saying, I don't see how it makes any difference.
Either way you have to find the space when he is ready to play.

 

[kevsh]

Is the contract strategy really "So instead of getting a big raise, Willie, how about a new job title?"

 

[thewave]

3C is where he would line up, but his ice time would not be 3C... he'd still get close to 20 minutes a night, it isn't an issue.

He is a 2C or not a C at all. 40 goal scorer with one of the best zone entries in the league is a 3rd liner + pp minutes? I dont really think that ever works out. Its a waste.

Or future replacement. If they plan to re-sign Nylander, taking over from Tavares long term (who will not make close to 11 million next time) will be the long range plan.

Matthews - Marner
Nylander
3rd line C
Redistribution of the money with JT off the books in 2 years. Then it’s not 2 wingers making big dollars.

I think this is the idea

 

[notbias]

He is a 2C or not a C at all. 40 goal scorer with one of the best zone entries in the league is a 3rd liner + pp minutes? I dont really think that ever works out. Its a waste.

I mean you can just ignore what I said completely, but let me try to explain it.

He may line up at 3C but there are a lot of 5v5 minutes and people move around the lineup depending on which zone the. draw is in and scenario of the game.

Kampf will likely line up as 4C but get 3C minutes.

If there is an offensive zone draw and 1st line is tired, put out Tavares, a winger, and Nylander, that is some extra ice time for him.

Keefe shuffles lines based on scenarios.

I think Jankrok will join Lafferty/Kampf for some important shifts in the defensive zone too, this will mean that likely they will run a cycle of 3 lines and Nylander will play wing for a shift beside Matthews or Tavares, and then after that cycle, they will go back to 4 lines.

 

[Twowingcantfly]

Jt barely belongs on the second line anymore, let alone the top line.

I agree. His 11m contract is the reason why he makes top line. If he is on any other line contract needs to be bought out.

 

[Squiffy]

So it appears as if the signing bonus is the sticking point here. No signing bonus, not much to worry about. The only thing that isn't clear is if there is an proration based on the number of days.

Doesn't seem like there is a proration. CBA has anticipated a strategy of trying to sign someone with 1/4 of the season remaining to cheat the cap and insulated itself from such chicanery.

 

[Twowingcantfly]

If Nylander could bring the same game to C as he does to wing that'd be fantastic. I just don't know if he's got that defensive acumen to him though, plus his transition game is so good on wing that I don't know if he could do the same thing at C.

Does our current 2C have defensive acumen? Willy's speed alone erases any doubt about his defensive acumen..

 

[IPS]

Does our current 2C have defensive acumen? Willy's speed alone erases any doubt about his defensive acumen..

Tavares atleast has experience at the position. He's pretty bad defensively but it's a lot of the little things he can still do good. Willy I'm afraid can't do those little things and it might cause some problems.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

No idea how but if they could fit Kane in and Nylander works out at centre this is a deep forward group.

Bertuzzi Matthews Kane
Knies Tavares Marner
Domi Nylander Jarnkrok
Lafferty Kampf Reaves

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Utilitarianism is overrated.

I don't know why we're all here, but I'm pretty sure it's not to be happy.

We all know Nylander can't play centre. But a sucker GM desperate for one might not. If the plan is to win a Stanley Cup no sane coach would put Nylander as centre.

If the plan is a pump and dump that just might work.

If the plan is to embarass him so he takes less that might work too. But playing Nylander as centre for any extended period of time won't end well. The only good that might come from that is if they stumble out of the gate and Keefe gets fired.

Nylander can take the heel-toe express out of town with him.

None of these guys should ever be allowed to smile again. If I can't be happy neither should they. I knew it was a bad idea tying my mental and emotional well being to a team of rich kids that don't know or care I exist.

But here we are.

 

[hockeywiz542]

According to TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston, the Toronto Maple Leafs will start William Nylander at centre in training camp with Max Domi on one wing and Calle Jarnkrok on the other wing.

It sounds like a second line situation.

Chris Johnson reports that starting William Nylander at centre in training camp is Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving's own idea.

 

[Budz]

Against another teams garbage 3rd line - yes.

 

[thusk]

Guy isn't good enough on the other side of the puck to be a shutdown 3rd line centre. Not sure why he would get demoted to the third line anyways, if anything that should be where Tavares goes at this point.

Why 3rd line should be shutdown line?

If youre using exemple bertuzzi with matthews and jarnkrok+ Marner with jt and knies... youre already get 2 shutdown line who can play against everybody... youre adding kampf and whatever on 4th youre getting a 3rd one... so why youre absolutly need a 4th shutdown line.

Playing in a 3rd is not a demotion, its just using player youre having the best way you can... like giving most offensive start you cab to nylander. If you able to create 4 line who can generate thing, you can create mismatch like whats florida did with reinhart line or vegas with karlsson line. So if matthews or marner was not able to produce at high rate 1 game or 2, game will not be over because maybe nylander will provide those goal during those game... thats exactly 1 of reason why leafs lost past season, when top 6 was not able to produce at high rate, every time they lost.

Because they keep core doesn't they need to keep the same strategy, they can try something else. Add of Bertuzi, knies and domi can make you change your strategy. Using nylander on a 3rd line and creating mismatch can be a pretty good strategy come playoff time but its not game 81 you need to test it, its right now and beggining of season.

 

[Menzinger]

I'm all for looking into it. After Nylanders extended, it'll make a lot more sense from a cap balancing POV to have him as the offensive minded 2C at that aav than a winger. Pair him with a few defensive minded and quick wingers and you could have a very solid line combination.

Imo going back to his AHL days, By lander always played better away from the puck when playing centre, seems to give him more of a reason to stay engaged on that element of the game. He'll need to show consistency though to make it work at this point though

Making Nylander a centre will make him more expensive to keep. Great. Like we weren’t having enough trouble trying to get him to budge from his $10 million ask.

I doubt it's going to impact the current negotiations much.

 

[AustonMarner]

Utilitarianism is overrated.

I don't know why we're all here, but I'm pretty sure it's not to be happy.

We all know Nylander can't play centre. But a sucker GM desperate for one might not. If the plan is to win a Stanley Cup no sane coach would put Nylander as centre.

If the plan is a pump and dump that just might work.

If the plan is to embarass him so he takes less that might work too. But playing Nylander as centre for any extended period of time won't end well. The only good that might come from that is if they stumble out of the gate and Keefe gets fired.

Nylander can take the heel-toe express out of town with him.

None of these guys should ever be allowed to smile again. If I can't be happy neither should they. I knew it was a bad idea tying my mental and emotional well being to a team of rich kids that don't know or care I exist.

But here we are.

"We all know Nylander can't play center"

Probably better you just write for yourself... rather than assume you're the official bureaucratic speaker for all Leafs fans lol

 

[ACC1224]

According to TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston, the Toronto Maple Leafs will start William Nylander at centre with Max Domi on one wing and Calle Jarnkrok on the other wing.

Chris Johnson reports that starting William Nylander at centre is Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving's idea.

I can’t imagine Johnson knows the lines when the team wouldn’t be set on them yet.

 

[notDatsyuk]

I agree. His 11m contract is the reason why he makes top line. If he is on any other line contract needs to be bought out.

That's the wrong way of looking at it.

It's not, or at least shouldn't be, "we pay him like a first line player, so we have to play him there", but "he's a second or third line player, so we have to play him there".

A completely separate issue is why we paid someone who was never intended to be a first line player, top 1C dollars? And by the way, because of how the fool who paid him that structured the contract, it does us no good to buy him out.

Forget about what he is paid. Right now, considering all the other forwards we have, is he better suited to a 1W position or a 2W position or a 3C position?

 

[Da Cool Rula]

All I read was the Leafs would put Willie at Center to START training camp. Only in Toronto would this be sooooo blown up. Isn’t that what TC is for? To try different things?

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

How long do you guys think this actually last?

Given Keefe tendency to put the lines in a blender I'm not taking this seriously at all.

This MIGHT last the pre season but even that doesn't count because he won't play consistently in the pre season

 

[Twowingcantfly]

Tavares atleast has experience at the position. He's pretty bad defensively but it's a lot of the little things he can still do good. Willy I'm afraid can't do those little things and it might cause some problems.

JT is good at scoring. Other than that, I cannot say he does anything else good. More often than not he covers the wrong guy. He does not carry the puck on the rush, or at all. His days of puck protection was gone before he got here. In a tie game he cannot be used in O/T or we loose. Face-off percentage is low, especially vs other top C's in the game. Best scenario now is to play him as top line winger, where we always have the puck. William will be fine playing 2C. It is long overdue.

That's the wrong way of looking at it.

It's not, or at least shouldn't be, "we pay him like a first line player, so we have to play him there", but "he's a second or third line player, so we have to play him there".

A completely separate issue is why we paid someone who was never intended to be a first line player, top 1C dollars? And by the way, because of how the fool who paid him that structured the contract, it does us no good to buy him out.

Forget about what he is paid. Right now, considering all the other forwards we have, is he better suited to a 1W position or a 2W position or a 3C position?

Well 3C is more for a shut down type who could probably PK. He is not suitable there, so that leaves 2W. I just feel Willy playing 2C on a line with two decent skaters will be unstoppable, and probably out score the top line. JT can still score, play him on the wing and he will still rack up decent numbers.

 

[Squiffy]

JT was 10th in the league at face-off % at 58%? I mean he has his warts, but face-offs isn't one of them, he's elite.

 

[Fogelhund]

I don't know why we're all here, but I'm pretty sure it's not to be happy.

Nah, that’s just you, but thanks for being honest.

Well 3C is more for a shut down type who could probably PK.

That’s just your own silly definition. There is no requirement for a 3C or a 2a/2b to be that at all. None. We’ve got that in Kampf.