Craig Berube Can't Afford to Make a Mistake With Maple Leafs' New $15M Forward

When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Nicolas Roy in exchange for Mitch Marner in a shocking sign and trade, it was expected that Roy would be able to come in and add that 3C Toronto really wants (considering John Tavares re-upped).

An underrated playmaker, staunch defender and true team player, Roy is going to become quickly a fan favorite in Toronto, and if he can pick up the offense; he'll become beloved.

But it's up to Craig Berube to place him where he sees fit, and while the 3C seems the most logical option for Roy, there is a possibility that he could fit in within the top-six.

Roy is actually pretty good with the stick all things considered, and while he was shoved down the depth chart in Vegas, he has a lot of opportunities to break out in Toronto.

In his 2023-24 season, Roy scored a career high 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) while mainly being on a line with Ivan Barbashev and Jonathan Marchessault. He also shot the puck a ton (something Toronto lacks at times) and was elite defensively.

The former gave him a physical and defensively sound power forward to cover for him, and had the speedy and offensively gifted Marchessault by his side.

Fast forward to Toronto, and you could see the exact same thing but with some pretty elite names, mainly John Tavares and William Nylander.

If Roy were to go in the middle, it would clearly shift Tavares over to the wing (a move that may benefit him due to his age but where he is also comfortable) and with Roy being just as capable defensively, it may open more windows for Tavares to be even more creative.

He fills that Barbashev role to a degree, and on his right Roy would have none other than William Nylander, who is potentially reaching 50 goals this season. If those three can find chemistry together, it's pretty remarkable that Roy went from a grind 3C to a playmaking top-six forward.

Roy, 28, had 31 points in 71 games for the Golden Knights last season (15 goals, 16 assists) but that was in a fourth-line role; he never really got a lot of chances to shine offensively.

But now he will in Toronto, and without a doubt could be part of something special on that second line.

Plus, it would make looking for that top-six forward obsolete.