Ziggy Stardust
Master Debater
In case anyone was curious, the following is a list of examples of natural centers who have spent a some time in their careers playing wing, and didn't look out of place doing so:
Mario Lemieux
Peter Forsberg
Chris Drury
Jeff Carter
Logan Couture
Pavel Datsyuk
Henrik Zetterberg
Patrick Marleau
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Joe Pavelski
Tyler Seguin
Brian Rolston
Kirk Muller
Vincent Damphousse
Ryan O'Reilly
A common trait with the aforementioned names is that they're all smart players with and without the puck. There are plenty more I haven't mentioned, like Mark Messier who started off playing LW, Rod Brind'Amour played wing early in his career as well, and as a coach he even shifted one of his top centers, Sebastian Aho, to play wing.
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/canes-now/article239346278.html
These are smart players, they can adapt. I've said it before and bring up Blake's comments in a recent interview yet again, you typically see rosters are international tournaments overloaded with centers. Canada had Lemieux, Sakic, Yzerman, Lindros, Nieuwendyk and Peca on their 2002 Olympic roster. That's six centers.
The 1996 US World Cup winning team had eight centers: Weight, Modano, LaFontaine, Otto, McEachern, Smolinski, Konowalchuk, Rolston. The last US Olympic hockey team had six centers: Pavelski, Stastny, Wheeler, Stepan, Kesler and Backes.
Given that these guys have been playing forward at some capacity all of their lives, suggesting a center to slide to wing isn't like asking a forward to play defense or goalie. They're capable of doing so, so long as they have the smarts to do it, and in many cases, they do.
Mario Lemieux
Peter Forsberg
Chris Drury
Jeff Carter
Logan Couture
Pavel Datsyuk
Henrik Zetterberg
Patrick Marleau
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Joe Pavelski
Tyler Seguin
Brian Rolston
Kirk Muller
Vincent Damphousse
Ryan O'Reilly
A common trait with the aforementioned names is that they're all smart players with and without the puck. There are plenty more I haven't mentioned, like Mark Messier who started off playing LW, Rod Brind'Amour played wing early in his career as well, and as a coach he even shifted one of his top centers, Sebastian Aho, to play wing.
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/canes-now/article239346278.html
These are smart players, they can adapt. I've said it before and bring up Blake's comments in a recent interview yet again, you typically see rosters are international tournaments overloaded with centers. Canada had Lemieux, Sakic, Yzerman, Lindros, Nieuwendyk and Peca on their 2002 Olympic roster. That's six centers.
The 1996 US World Cup winning team had eight centers: Weight, Modano, LaFontaine, Otto, McEachern, Smolinski, Konowalchuk, Rolston. The last US Olympic hockey team had six centers: Pavelski, Stastny, Wheeler, Stepan, Kesler and Backes.
Given that these guys have been playing forward at some capacity all of their lives, suggesting a center to slide to wing isn't like asking a forward to play defense or goalie. They're capable of doing so, so long as they have the smarts to do it, and in many cases, they do.
