Why Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube is Starting William Nylander at Center During Team's Training Camp
Nylander began Maple Leafs training camp last season at center, but the experiment was cut short after just two games.
As Maple Leafs training camp begins on Thursday, William Nylander will start at center, for the second straight season. However, this time, it could be a little different.
Maple Leafs head coach revealed the change during the team's media day on Wednesday morning, adding that Max Domi will begin training camp on the 28-year-old's wing.
"Yeah, there's a lot of that that goes on throughout the summer before camp, you know, combinations and this and that. Again, things change. We all know that," Berube said.
"I'm going to start Willy in the middle here in camp, and Max is probably going to be on his wing right now to start, and that's what we'll start with for now and go from there."
Nylander began Maple Leafs training camp at center last year and played two preseason games at the position before being moved back to the wing under then-Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The forward was drafted as a center and has played it several times throughout his career. With a new coach, and this potential change, it's unlikely to suggest that it will last for just a few games.
"Well, I think that with (Nylander's) skill set, he can be a great transporter of the puck from our own zone to the offensive zone," Berube said. "He's strong, he's big, he's skilled. Anytime you can get somebody like that in the middle of the ice, I believe that's a real important piece."
Domi also spent time last season with the Maple Leafs on the wing, primarily alongside Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi, meaning this isn't a new development for the 29-year-old forward.
Given his playmaking abilities and his speed on the wing, a Domi and Nylander duo could do damage in the regular season. Hopefully this time, though, the experiment with Nylander at center goes into the season and not just during training camp.
"It's a competitive camp. I feel up front, on the back-end, and in goal, there's a lot of competition, which is great," Berube said on Wednesday ahead of the first day of Toronto's training camp, which opens on Thursday.
Nylander finished last season with 40 goals and 58 assists for a career-high 98 points in 82 games. He's entering the first year of an eight-year deal which carries an annual average value of $11.5 million.
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