William Nylander Comments on Center Experiment Failure with Maple Leafs
This week, William Nylander reinforced his willingness to play any position to help the Maple Leafs succeed.
Maple Leafs winger William Nylander originally welcomed the challenge of shifting over to center during training camp, under one condition. Initially, when former head coach Sheldon Keefe tried Nylander down the middle last season, the experiment didn't last long. Nylander expressed recently that he felt he wasn't given enough time to fully adapt to the new role. However, with the starting lineup for the season now having been announced, it appears as though the new experiment is already over, and history may be repeating itself.
Nylander commented on the brief return to the center position, as per Mark Masters on X:
Regardless of the forward position he occupies, the Swedish superstar clearly wants to do what's best for the team. Logistically, moving Nylander to the 2C slot and shifting Tavares to 3C could have been effective, but Nylander will continue to thrive on the wing.
Coming off a career season with the Maple Leafs, Nylander recorded a personal best of 98 points in 82 games and achieved back-to-back 40-goal seasons. His performance earned him a lucrative contract extension, paying $11.5 million per season over the next eight years.
While Nylander is not starting the season in the middle of the ice, with Tavares potentially regressing due to age, we may be a little too hasty in establishing the the Nylander to center talk is over. It's very possible, as Nylander alluded to, that he gets another crack at center, once he gets some more reps in and gets a little more comfortable at the position. As he had stated, he's ready and willing to play any role he's asked to play.
