A 1-2-3 of Matthews, Nylander and Tavares down the middle also brings with it the potential for greater offensive depth. The Leafs have been reliant, overly so at times, on two lines to generate offence over the years, another point of detriment in past postseasons.

Leafs head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving absolutely want William Nylander playing centre.

Before any premature talk of William and Alex Nylander playing together, best to first figure where Willy fits positionally. True to new coach Craig Berube’s summer blueprint, Nylander lined up at centre on Thursday’s first day of camp workouts,

Yesterday at the opening of training camp we got confirmation of the plan to try out William Nylander at centre with "Max" on his wing. To be clear, this means Max Domi.

Nylander began Maple Leafs training camp last season at center, but the experiment was cut short after just two games.

With a new coach and captain, new faces and competition for spots, this could be one of the more fascinating Leafs training camps in years.

In Craig Berube’s first meeting with the media on the opening day of training camp, he answered a question that lots of fans had been pondering in the weeks leading up to it – will William Nylander play centre?