On Tuesday&#8217;s episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCYHkrQncT8">The Sheet</a>, Jeff Marek welcomed decorated Swedish reporter Uffe Bodin to the program, and one of the many topics they discussed was William Nylander, and more specifically, playing Nylander down the middle of the ice.
Sweden&#8217;s centre depth was <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/william-nylander-analyzes-whats-gone-wrong-team-sweden-4-nations-faceoff">certainly questionable</a> during their 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, and it just so happens the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a middle-six centre heading into the trade deadline. Begging the question: is Nylander the perfect candidate to fill both holes?
Marek: You watched William Nylander as a young player in Sweden, and he played centre. Has their been any talk? Because, there always is in Toronto, then they try it, and then they pull back. He&#8217;s been false-started so many times at the centre position. Is there any way Team Sweden would consider making him a centre? Or, is that too experimental?
Bodin: I think it&#8217;s too experimental, I think that would need to happen in Toronto, and work. And, not just be one or one and a half preseason games, to just go back to whatever it was before. I have a hard time ambitioning that, but, there a few good centres coming. I&#8217;m really high on Anton Frondell, who is probably going to be a pretty early pick in the NHL Draft. He&#8217;s really picked up his game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
“I think that would need to happen in Toronto… and work”<a href="https://twitter.com/UffeBodin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UffeBodin</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffMarek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JeffMarek</a> discussed Sweden’s holes down the middle and if moving William Nylander to center would be a viable option…<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/leafsforever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#leafsforever</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thesheet?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thesheet</a> <a href="https://t.co/f8DH5AWYUL">pic.twitter.com/f8DH5AWYUL</a>
&mdash; The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/thesheethockey/status/1892035369559904430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Nylander has only been given a brief look at centre these last couple of seasons in Toronto, under both Sheldon Keefe and Craig Berube. Berube started this season&#8217;s training camp stating he was going to give Nylander a look down the middle.
&#8220;You got to give him some opportunity and time,&#8221; <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/craig-berube-william-nylander-extended-look-at-centre-maple-leafs">Berube said of playing Nylander at centre</a> before the season started. “It’s not just going to, you know…you have to see him in exhibition (games) down the road a little bit, play a few games, see what he looks like, see how he’s feeling, see if he’s comfortable. Those are conversations I’ll have with him but also, we’ll be watching him.&#8221;
Turns out, it was just another preseason experiment, as Nylander has spent most of his 55 games with the Maple Leafs on the wing of the Leafs&#8217; second line, riding shotgun to John Tavares. For what it&#8217;s worth, he&#8217;s taken 136 faceoffs so far this year, winning 48 percent, and has won just over 50 percent of his draws throughout his career.
With the Maple Leafs in the trade market, with limited cap space, 2025 draft picks, and top prospects, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out after the trade deadline March 7, and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
&nbsp;

On Tuesday's episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCYHkrQncT8">The Sheet</a>, Jeff Marek welcomed decorated Swedish reporter Uffe Bodin to the program, and one of the many topics they discussed was William Nylander, and more specifically, playing Nylander down the middle of the ice.

Sweden's centre depth was <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/william-nylander-analyzes-whats-gone-wrong-team-sweden-4-nations-faceoff">certainly questionable</a> during their 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, and it just so happens the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a middle-six centre heading into the trade deadline. Begging the question: is Nylander the perfect candidate to fill both holes?

Marek: You watched William Nylander as a young player in Sweden, and he played centre. Has their been any talk? Because, there always is in Toronto, then they try it, and then they pull back. He's been false-started so many times at the centre position. Is there any way Team Sweden would consider making him a centre? Or, is that too experimental?

Bodin: I think it's too experimental, I think that would need to happen in Toronto, and work. And, not just be one or one and a half preseason games, to just go back to whatever it was before. I have a hard time ambitioning that, but, there a few good centres coming. I'm really high on Anton Frondell, who is probably going to be a pretty early pick in the NHL Draft. He's really picked up his game.

https://twitter.com/thesheethockey/status/1892035369559904430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Nylander has only been given a brief look at centre these last couple of seasons in Toronto, under both Sheldon Keefe and Craig Berube. Berube started this season's training camp stating he was going to give Nylander a look down the middle.

"You got to give him some opportunity and time," <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/craig-berube-william-nylander-extended-look-at-centre-maple-leafs">Berube said of playing Nylander at centre</a> before the season started. “It’s not just going to, you know…you have to see him in exhibition (games) down the road a little bit, play a few games, see what he looks like, see how he’s feeling, see if he’s comfortable. Those are conversations I’ll have with him but also, we’ll be watching him."

Turns out, it was just another preseason experiment, as Nylander has spent most of his 55 games with the Maple Leafs on the wing of the Leafs' second line, riding shotgun to John Tavares. For what it's worth, he's taken 136 faceoffs so far this year, winning 48 percent, and has won just over 50 percent of his draws throughout his career.

With the Maple Leafs in the trade market, with limited cap space, 2025 draft picks, and top prospects, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out after the trade deadline March 7, and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

&nbsp;

Jeff Marek and Uffe Bodin discuss experimental merits of placing William Nylander at centre

Recent articles from Shane Seney

Breaking News