An interesting side effect Nazem Kadri’s concussion is the ability for the Maple Leafs braintrust to see William Nylander as a centre.

Nylander moved there immediately, between Patrick Marleau and Connor Brown, a third line that seems a real mish-mash.

Nylander is the most dynamic player on it, Marleau is the smartest, Brown the hardest working. It’s not exactly a great scoring line, and they’re not exactly scoring. In the seven games since Kadri got hurt, the line has two 5-on-5 goals (one by Nylander, one by Marleau) and two assists (one by Marleau, one by Brown).

On the plus-minus scale, they are a collective zero (Brown is plus-1, Marleau 0, Nylander minus-1). Their possession numbers – though not great – is okay. Nylander’s Corsi is fourth among Leafs forwards (51.78), Marleau sixth (49.21), Brown eighth (48.69).

The Leafs aren’t winning because of them. But they’re not losing either. They're 5-2-0 without Kadri, though more credit has to be given to the rise of the Trevor Moore-powered fourth line, which has come to life, than anything Nylander's third line has done.



It will be interesting to see when Kadri comes back what the Maple Leafs braintrust thinks of Nylander as a centre. At this point, it doesn’t look like Nylander can “drive” a line the way Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews can. But it’s not like he’s got the most dynamic wingers to work with, offensively, anyway.

If GM Kyle Dubas and coach Mike Babcock agree that Nylander can play centre, then Kadri’s future instantly goes up in the air. Kadri is 28, and has a very team-friendly cap hit of $4.5 million a year on a deal that runs through the end of the 2020-21 season. On the trade market, he’d garner a solid return.

It took until he was 25 or 26, but Kadri turned himself into an elite centre. He learnt how to play defence without giving up offence. He’s coming off back-to-back 32-goal seasons and had an outside chance to get there again this year with 15 goals before he got hurt.

Nylander is just 22, and compares favourable to Kadri at the same age, with two full seasons under his belt. Kadri only broke through at 22, with 44 points in the lock-out shortened 2012-13 48-game season.

If it’s determined Nylander is a centre, then Kadri can be moved. Maybe for that elusive right-handed defenceman (who probably would only further confuse their coming cap-space issues). Maybe for a high draft pick or a high-end prospect on an entry-level deal.

Regardless, Dubas has his work cut out for him if he decides to start running on a talent-for-prospect treadmill. But he’s dealing from a position of strength. The Leafs have a lot of talent.

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