In an ideal world, William Nylander slots in behind Auston Matthews as the No. 2 centre of the Maple Leafs.



The Swede, who has played on the wing most of this season, is already creating offence at an impressive pace both at even-strength and on the power play. But what will he need to incorporate into his game to become an everyday centre in the NHL?



An interesting comparable for Nylander is Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk. The American, who like Nylander broke into the league in his teens, spent his first four seasons playing left wing alongside two-way pivots Lars Eller and Tomas Plekanec before finally getting a chance to play centre with a revolving assortment of linemates.



Galchenyuk has been offensively prolific. Only seven other centremen scored more even-strength goals than Galchenyuk (21) last year. New Canadiens coach Claude Julien seems intent on having him anchor one of the team’s top two lines down the stretch. However,...