The Athletic's James Mirtle Suggests Islanders Veteran Center as the Perfect Fit for the Maple Leafs

PUBLICATION

Tom Banks
October 29, 2024 (7:04 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Toronto Maple Leafs are seemingly prepared to go all in to chase the Stanley Cup this season, and now one analysts sees them as a great fit for Brock Nelson.

This season has been an up-and-down one through 10 games thus far for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with a 5-4-1 record in that time, they're ready to compete all season long. For the majority of those Maple Leafs games, there have been numerous scouts and General Managers in attendance, leading to speculation that the team could be looking to make a big move.

While most of that speculation surrounds Toronto's potential attempts to move the likes of Timothy Liljegren, Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf, there's also the possibility that they could be a big buyer, with a 2C position the one they're most looking to fill. Now, a new name has potentially emerged as an option for Toronto, with James Mirtle of The Athletic revealing who he believes the Maple Leafs should and could target to fill the role.

The one name I saw who's potentially out there is Brock Nelson. He would be perfect. With size, he can score... He's not a shutdown centre, but he's not gonna kill you in your own end either...

You'd have to give up something substantial to make that happen, but... if you could bring in a centre like that... you've got something.

Nelson is in the final year of his contract with the New York Islanders, on a deal that carries a $6 million AAV, and with the Isles looking to get younger, a deal with the Maple Leafs could potentially make a lot of sense. At 33-years of age, Nelson has the experience and the production that would make him the perfect fit in New York, with 4 goals and 6 points in eight games thus far in 2024/25 showing that he can still get it done in a big way.

A potential deal between the two would likely need to include Nick Robertson and some draft capital going the other way from Toronto, but if they believe this is a group that can get it done, don't be shocked to see these two teams talking as the season rolls on.