Craig Berube facing tough situation with Maple Leafs star: demotion coming
Craig Berube is yet to make his mark on this Leafs team since taking over, but now it appears he's ready to make a surprise decision on one of the team's top stars.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have many decisions to make ahead of the 2024/25 regular season, and after a recent report, one of those is becoming more critical than others. According to Luke Fox of Sportsnet, captain John Tavares is set to anchor the third line in 2024/25, giving Craig Berube the critical decision; who centers the second line now?
According to Fox, the second line center position is now up for grabs, with Mitch Marner and William Nylander reportedly becoming the two favourites for the critical role. On one hand, playing down the middle is a huge opportunity, but whoever doesn't get the role will likely play the right wing alongside Auston Matthews on the top line, a role that almost anyone in the NHL would love.
Last season, the Maple Leafs looked to move Nylander down the middle, but he would ultimately return to the wing during the year, but after paying him a huge deal, it now makes sense that they would like to push him back to the middle. With Marner's future up in the air, it's unclear exactly what Berube is thinking, but with the regular season approaching quickly, he will need to figure things out if they are to start the season well.
Source: Hockey Feed
Demotion coming to star forward in Toronto as Craig Berube faces tough call
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 31 | 237 ANSWERS Craig Berube facing tough situation with Maple Leafs star: demotion coming Who will center the Maple Leafs second line in 2024/25? | ||
| John Tavares | 88 | 37.1 % |
| Mitch Marner | 56 | 23.6 % |
| William Nylander | 93 | 39.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||