Maple Leafs Star forward faces demotion in Toronto hints Craig Berube
Toronto Maple Leafs new head coach Craig Berube is going to have to make some tough calls next seasons, and one of those is demoting a star forward John Tavares.
Craig Berube's first task will be to determine who will be the Leafs number two center, and it will come down to either Max Domi or William Nylander.
This means that one unlucky veteran will likely be demoted down to the number three center position, which will likely be captain John Tavares.
On John Tavares � currently the Maple Leafs' third-line centre and second-unit power-play threat � taking one for the team
An unpopular opinion suggests putting star Leafs forward Mitch Marner as the second-line center. He is a fantastic two-way player, and Berube may appreciate having that balance up the middle on the second line. This makes Marner a likely candidate for the spot.
John Tavares' numbers dipped last season, where he had the lowest production since his rookie career, so there's no doubt he will begin the regular season on that third line.
At $11 million, that's likely the most expensive third liner in the league.
Nylander and Marner had much better campaigns than Tavares did last year, which is why they likely aren't the ones to be demoted to the third line.
William Nylander had his second straight 40 goal season, while also hitting career highs in points with 98 in 80 games, while Marner had a fantastic 85 points in his 69 games.
Source: HockeyFeed
Demotion coming to star forward in Toronto as Craig Berube faces tough call
Source: HockeyDB
Mitch Marner Statistics
Source: HockeyDB
William Nylander Statistics
| POLL | ||
Will the Maple Leafs trade John Tavares? | ||
| Yes | 141 | 30.3 % |
| No | 324 | 69.7 % |
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