Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Shore could answer fourth line centre questions

The Toronto Maple Leafs have some questions surrounding their fourth line centre position and free agent Nick Shore could be worth taking a look at.

At the time of writing, Pär Lindholm is penciled in as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ fourth line centre, having joined the team after a season in the Swedish Hockey League which saw him register 47 points (18 goals and 29 assists) in 49 regular season games.

Lindholm, who turns 27 at the start of the season, has taken some time to develop into a potential NHL player, having only played four years in the top Swedish league.

He has spent his entire career in Sweden and could find the transition to North American ice somewhat difficult, at least initially.

For the Leafs, having a player who can at least be a stop-gap while Lindholm plays for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL and proves he is ready to step up, should be a priority of management.

Nick Shore, who played 64 NHL games across spells with the LA Kings, Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames last season could be that kind of player.

Shore does not put up much offence, with only 19 points (five goals and 14 assists) and averaged just 14:10 on the ice last season.

But what he doesn’t have in terms of offensive numbers, he more than makes up for on the defensive end.

Last season alone, Shore had a 52.5% Corsi rating in the NHL and started in the defensive zone a whopping 58.9 percent of the time.

In Shore’s 64 appearances, he also blocked 20 shots and had a further 55 hits, making him a very valuable asset at even strength and on the penalty kill. This would be a benefit for the Leafs because they didn’t have any of their centres on the penalty kill, with Zach Hyman and Leo Komarov taking the majority of the draws.

He has also shown that he is capable of winning face-offs, averaging a 50.3 percent success rate across the 236 regular season games he has played during his four seasons in the NHL.

More from Toronto Maple Leafs

• Maple Leafs Rumours: Half of NHL teams interested in Ilya Mikheyev
• Toronto Maple Leafs: How to address the goaltender position
• Leafs reward Timothy Liljegren with extension after breakout season
• Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell situation becoming increasingly uncertain
• Jason Spezza retires, joins Toronto Maple Leafs front office

Shore would also come extremely cheaply, having never earned more than $925,000 per season during his NHL career.

If the Leafs could sign him for a low-cost, one-year deal, then he would give Mike Babcock a defensive-minded forward who could play plenty of minutes on the PK – something that Babcock needs with the majority of his team fairly offensive.

For Lindholm, it allows him some freedom to adapt to a new style of hockey and adjust to the different ice surface, where space is certainly at a premium in comparison to European ice.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs, it gives them a legitimate NHL player to fill the fourth-line centre role until they figure out what they really have with Lindholm and gives them a player capable of being effective on the PK unit.

The organisation does have Frederik Gauthier as an option on the fourth line, but he has struggled to truly step up to the NHL and looks to have all but cemented his role as an AHLer for the immediate future.

With this lack of certainty on the lower end of the offence, adding Shore could help solidify an already stacked starting line-up for Babcock.

What do you think Toronto Maple Leafs fans? Should Kyle Dubas consider taking a look at Shore? Who do you think should be the team’s fourth line centre? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!