Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Hints at Massive Lineup Shake-Up Involving William Nylander
William Nylander has long been on the wing in Toronto, but after several off-seasons of trying him down the middle, Craig Berube has hinted the change may come soon.
In his final year as Maple Leafs Head Coach, Sheldon Keefe tried William Nylander at centre in the pre-season, but when the regular season began, he retook his spot on the wing alongside John Tavares.
This past off-season, Craig Berube did the same thing, and when the off-season concluded, No. 88 once again found himself in his familiar spot back on the wing. Now, that could finally be changing, as recent comments from Berube have hinted that Nylander make finally make the switch in the regular season after fans have been pushing for the move.
Those were the comments from Craig Berube on Friday after another reportedly impressive day from Nylander, and with John Tavares set to hit free agency at the end of the year, it may finally be time to see if Nylander can be your 2C of the future.
After a career high 98 points a season ago, Nylander is off to another great start this year, with 12 goals and 20 points in 18 games thus far, and given how much he drives the play, Toronto would love for him to transition to the centre position.
With both he and Auston Matthews locked in, alongside Max Domi as the 3C, this team has the chance to be deep and talented down the middle for years to come, it's a move the team need to make.
For now though, Berube seems hesitant to make the change, and with Nylander succeeding on the wing, it's unclear if it will ever happen, but if it does, Toronto could unlock a side of Nylander that they've not seen before and it could be the change that helps them deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 15 | 153 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Hints at Massive Lineup Shake-Up Involving William Nylander Should William Nylander play down the middle for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 79 | 51.6 % |
| No | 74 | 48.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||