Maple Leafs' centre additions create a new role for John Tavares at age 35

Toronto added four centres to the lineup this summer and it gives John Tavares a brand new role as he heads into the latter stages of his career.

John Chayka's offseason overhaul consisted of several signings to shore up the bottom-six and add much needed defensive depth up the middle. Out were names like Calle Jarnkrok, and in came Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Jack Roslovic, and Nick Paul.

While Roslovic may be viewed more as a winger despite being listed as a centre, the other trio of pivots are exactly what Toronto needed. They added a lot more toughness, penalty killing, face-off expertise and speed - all core facets that make up a winning team in addition to offence.

Speaking of offence, this new group of centres gives head coach Jim Hiller a lot more ammunition than he previously may have thought, and it gives him the flexibility to be a little creative with his lineups knowing he has some defensive anchors holding it down.

Toronto's offseason additions make a Tavares position change a real possibility

One creative thing that Toronto hasn't really had the luxury of being able to do is give John Tavares a new lease on offence - and slide him to the wing. Coming off another great year with 71 points in 82 games (31 goals), he's showing no signs of slowing down offensively.

But ever since Tavares came to the team, he's been the #2 centre behind Auston Matthews, and he's done a formidable job to say the least. But he's also 35 years old and not getting younger, so a way to extend his production is to give him less responsibility, and he's well covered.

That's not to say that Tavares won't or can't play centre. He's still one of the best face-off takers in the league and can be used to take crucial face-offs in the offensive zone to gain possession then curl off to the wing and cut to the net.

For example, Toronto could line up with a couple different groups that would give Tavares a break defensively and let him be an even bigger threat offensively:

Tavares - Paul - McKenna

This line gives McKenna a chance to play with Tavares and learn from one of the best while also not having to worry too much about defensive duties thanks to Paul.

The former Lightning forward is a solid goal-scorer in his own right so you're not losing all your offence and Tavares doesn't have to worry about pinching in more than hustling to cover his assignment.

If you wanted to stick with some more familiarity, then we could just as easily swap McKenna for William Nylander:

Tavares - Paul - Nylander

We know the chemistry the two already have, and we discussed how Paul can help cover defensively. Plus, Tavares can always swap with him in the middle to win a crucial face-off, then switch off and play wing while the team takes possession.

Moving to the wing could preserve Tavares' dangerous offensive instincts

If you take a look at where Tavares is most lethal, it's clear that from the crease to the slot is his bread and butter. He scored 22 of his 31 goals from that range (19 from the crease area) and took 106 high danger shots compared to the league average of 32 (Forwards/Defense) - an over 200% increase.

Getting him to the net without having to hesitate and play a full 200-foot game all the time will give Toronto a dynamic they haven't really been able to explore. Plus, you're still able to use Sissons and Blueger as your 3C/4C so the need for Paul to play the bottom-six isn't urgent.

Moving Tavares away from centre would be tough considering how good his face-off ability is and his two-way game has always been one of his strengths but it's more about extending his offensive potential.

It's time he gets a bit of a break, and a move to the wing gives him not only some relief - but a chance to be an even bigger threat than before.

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