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Former NHLer and current analyst identifies the deepest forward group in the East; Leaf fans will love his answer

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Mike Armenti
February 21, 2023 (10:17)

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We all know that Paul "Biz Nasty" Bissonnette doesn't really care what anyone else thinks of him or his ideas. He is just unapologetically himself. Whether it be on his podcast, Spittin Chiclets, on the broadcast with NHL on TNT or just commenting on social media, Biz holds firm to his opinions, no matter how hot his takes are.

Biz has been running a campaign this season, online and on his podcast, to bring Patrick Kane to Toronto. He felt as though Kane was the best possible addition for this Leafs team. However, on the most recent episode of Spittin Chiclets, he was extremely complimentary of Leafs GM Kyle Dubas following the Ryan O'Reilly trade. He even went so far as to say that the O'Reilly deal on its own should earn Dubas a contract extension.

The former NHL journeyman enforcer also stated, rather emphatically, that the Leafs now boast the best group of centers in the entire Eastern Conference with O'Reilly in the fold. It's tough to argue with that point, as Matthews, Tavares, O'Reilly, Kampf and Acciari gives the Leafs a variety of looks and options.

"It seems like these lines are going to be put in a bit of a blender to maybe decide if he's going end up on the wing or if he's gonna end up as 3rd line center... penciled in as a third line center, he will beat you with his mind, his skill set and all of the other intangibles that you need to bring to a championship lineup.

You've got Matthews, you've got Tavares and then you've got Ryan O'Reilly. To me - that's the most depth up the middle in the entire Eastern Conference. Argue with me if you guys want to argue with me, but that is a deadly, deadly middle of the ice."

-Biz on the Leafs' acquisition of O'Reilly making them a top team down the middle

It's anyone's guess if the Leafs will continue on with the O'Reilly at 2C and Tavares at 2LW experiment, but there's no denying that if O'Reilly does play as the team's 3C, you won't find many better 1, 2, 3 punches in the league than Matthews, Tavares and O'Reilly down the middle of the ice.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

Leafs preparing to move a forward?

Former NHLer explains the worst case scenario for the Leafs in the O'Reilly deal

Vegas on the verge of making a blockbuster trade

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21 FEVRIER \| 276 ANSWERS Former NHLer and current analyst identifies the deepest forward group in the East; Leaf fans will love his answer Do the Leafs have the best center depth in the Eastern Conference?
Yes	195	70.7 %
No	25	9.1 %
They have the best C depth in the NHL	56	20.3 %
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