Team may make playoffs but due to the most mediocre center core in the NHL gets trounced. Not a single center on the team paced for over 50 points last season. Now with Nylander and up against the cap, that issue cant be addressed except through internal progression and honestly i dont see the answer in the room.

There's no deal to be done with the Preds as the leafs will want a top pair D if they are going to trade Nylander and I doubt you'll be giving away Josi!

nah, I'd accept cheap scoring options and a pick or two that can be used to go get that D, as proposed here

Idk, I see O'Reilly playing much better next season over the regular season, easy 60+ points with Nylander for a full season. I'm also big on Parssinen, I would expect to see him elevated to 2C at some point next year and hit around 50 points. And if they can get some more offense going, with that D core and goalie situation, they could do better in the playoffs than some expect. Nylander steps on and immediately becomes their best offensive weapon.

Trading away Nylander (7M) to acquire Josi (9M) doesn't solve TOR's cap issues.

NSH wouldn't even consider it for a second anyways.

That was my point, Nashville have nothing the Leafs have urgent need for!

Id like to think ROR could get back into his hayday but he looked pretty toast for half the season before being sent to Toronto. Nashville is more STL than TOR even if Nylander was there.

Parssinen is a huge wildcard. I keep remembering his draft position and that dulls my excitement for him. Probably not justifiably since he has impressed at every level so far.

Past 10 cup champs all have centers capable of point per game production or very close: Eichel, MacK, Point/stamkos, ROR (hayday -77 points in 82 games cup year), Kuznetsov, Crosby, Toews, Kopitar, etc. Hot goalie and stout defense can be the ultimate equilizwr but i just dont see Nashville as being anywhere close without copious amounts of luck.

sure but they're never going to get a C like that without some major luck, unless they blow it up full rebuild (even at that takes some luck) which I just cannot see them doing, for better or worse. Best they can do is inject some more offense in and ride that incredible back end and goaltender, and hope that some younger C's continue to take strides.

And I mean - look no further than NSH themselves for an example of a team that at least made a final without an elite 1C and rode solid D, goaltending, and scoring off the wings from many sources.

Defense was better then and scoring wasnt as high around the league as it is now but point taken. Johansen's 61 points in the regular season puts him at a tie for 35th in the NHL in 16-17 for all players and 17th for "centers". In 22-23, 61 points would be 91st in the league for all players and 42nd for "centers". Ryjo wasnt a high end center but in 16-17 was completely adequate. What we are looking at now wouldnt be considered a middle of the pack 1st line center production. Last season that was in the mid 70s point production

but in their current outlook where are the Preds getting that C? The answer really is that they're not, short of a development miracle like a Parssinen or something. And if they're going to keep this roster as is they're going to be a 1st round exit or barely miss team for a long time, they're going to have to make a splash. And I mean Nylander HAS played center, you COULD try going ROR - Nylander - Parssinen down the middle if you were so inclined. Nylander never really got an extended look there in Toronto with some of established guys we've had down the middle but he has some, and did before the Leafs consistently.

We arent and thats why i view the need to take a step back for a few years and amass picks/prospects atleast until we know what we have in parssinen, glass, svechkov, and wood (he is supposed to get time as a C in the NCAA this season). I was kindof excited when we started selling off with Granlund, ekholm, nino, joey, and duchene out it looked like we were destined for the tear down i think we needed. Then we went out and got schenn, ror, and nyquist and went right back to bubble territory.

ok, so I think we agree on what they SHOULD do. They should do a proper rebuild and completely sell off. But it doesn't appear to be what's happening. So if they're going to try and compete which, for some reason it sort of seems like it, a Nylander trade would greatly help that objective. Do I agree with the direction of the team? No, I don't.