Sheldon Keefe reveals Nylander's new linemates and explains his take on why the trio could work
Throughout his career, William Nylander has only had a handful of short stints playing center for the Leafs, always finding himself swapped back to the wing for one reason or another. This season, however, appears to be different. Sheldon Keefe is starting with Nylander at center during training camp in hopes of putting him in a better position to succeed in the middle of the ice, giving him reps at center early and allowing him to gain a comfort at the position.
Past attempts to have Nylander play center were in the middle of the season and he was never afforded the opportunity to feel comfortable or create chemistry with linemates. Yesterday at camp, Keefe had Nylander skating with Calle Jarnkrok and Max Domi and had this to say when asked about the trio.
"You have two guys who've played center and can take on responsibilities low in the zone. Max can take left handed faceoffs. Domi and Willy are dynamic on the rush getting open and Jarnkrok's a worker defensively."
Keefe's explanation makes a ton of sense here as it allows the Leafs to ease Willy into middle with Jarnkrok and Domi being able to pick up some of the added responsibilities. Additionally, the line looks to have a good balance of offense and defense with all three having topped the 20-goal mark last season. It was only the first day of camp yesterday, so we will see how long the line stays together, but it sounds like it was a good first impression for Keefe.
| POLL | ||
22 SEPTEMBRE | 154 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe reveals Nylander's new linemates and explains his take on why the trio could work How long do you think the Nylander at center experiment will last? | ||
| Through the pre-season | 31 | 20.1 % |
| Less than 20 games into the regular season | 67 | 43.5 % |
| About half the season | 26 | 16.9 % |
| Nylander will stick at center | 30 | 19.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
