Who will play with William Nylander & John Tavares?

There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs going into next season. With the loss of Mitch Marner, fans are eager to see how next season will go. Most of last year’s core will be back for the 2025–26 campaign. However, some of the details are still being ironed out. 

One topic of discussion is who will be joining Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on the top line. However, some people are overlooking the fact that someone has to join John Tavares and William Nylander on that second line. Both Daily Face-Off and Puck Pedia seem to think that Max Domi will be on the second line.  

Now, it’s very possible that Nylander could end up on the top line. However, I don’t think that would go as well as people think. Matthews and Nylander both want to be the alpha in the forward core, and will both want the puck on their stick. 

Every hockey fan loves hypothetical scenarios and predicting what their team will do. So let’s say Tavares and Nylander end up on the second line. Here are some guys I think would play well on a line with them. 

Dakota Joshua 

The Leafs acquired Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks via a trade in July. They gave up a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua was initially drafted by the Leafs in 2014, but was never signed and was later traded to the St. Louis Blues in July of 2019.

So far, his best season points-wise was in 2023–24, where he had 32 in 63 games with Vancouver. I know what you’re thinking, 32 points seems a little low. Here’s something that will grab your attention if you’re a Leafs fan. In 2024, the Canucks made the playoffs, and in 13 playoff games, Joshua put up eight points. Imagine a guy in your bottom-six putting up those numbers in the playoffs, wouldn’t it be nice?

Last season, Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer and didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 14. He ended up finishing with 14 points in 57 games for the Canucks. 

I think he’s a potential fit for the second line because he’s big and will bring a ton of qualities to the second line that Nylander and Tavares may not have, like grit and physicality. Joshua isn’t going to have a bunch of points, but I think he would add an element of physicality you won’t get from Tavares and Nylander. I think he could be essentially a second Bobby McMann. 

Matias Maccelli 

Another guy the Leafs acquired via trade this summer, from the Utah Mammoth, is Matias Maccelli. Puck Pedia has him on the Leafs’ second line alongside Tavares and Max Domi, but as we said earlier, Nylander is on the second line in this scenario. 

In Utah, the 24-year-old was blossoming into a really impressive player. I think having him and Nylander as a duo would be electric, and they’d be able to help the Leafs’ offence get to another level. 
 
Maccelli is an underrated player with his playmaking ability, and with Nylander’s scoring ability, they could be a lethal combination. Maccelli’s vision and puck control allow him to be the type of player who can create space for himself and generate scoring chances.  When you pair that up with Nylander, who arguably was the Leafs’ best player last season, it could be a treat to watch. 

It’ll be interesting to see how Maccelli handles playing in Toronto, as opposed to Utah or Arizona. Every fan knows there is an extra sense of pressure when you’re playing in a Canadian market, especially Toronto. If he can handle the added pressure, I think he’ll excel, especially paired with Nylander. 

Bobby McMann

Bobby McMann is entering a contract year in 2025–26, and, similar to Dakota Joshua, I think he’d add things to the second line that Tavares and Nylander don’t necessarily do. Also, these three played together last season at times, and it went very well. 

I think McMann will have more confidence this season, given he’s a UFA after 2025–26. Last season, he was somewhat inconsistent. McMann would go through stretches where he’d have 11 goals in seven games, and then he’d go silent for a while. However, he played well during the playoffs.

I think McMann needs to capitalize on the position he will be in this season, and people have pencilled him in on that third line, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up playing with Tavares and Nylander. 

They tried having him on the third line with Domi during the playoffs, but they didn’t play very well together. I think it would be a better fit for McMann and the team if he plays with Nylander and Tavares.

It’s only early August, so we will have to wait and see what happens. It could very well be Max Domi who ends up on the second line, but keep an eye on these three because I could see any of them sliding into that second line role and wouldn’t be shocked.