Sabres superstar admits to actually fearing one Maple Leaf and it's not Auston Matthews
For as much fun as fans from other fanbases poke at the Maple Leafs, they all know in their heart of hearts that the Leafs are a dangerous team. Yes, the team has dealt with more than its fair share of struggles in the postseason, but the Leafs take a lot more heat from other fanbases than is fair or due.
After a day off on Wednesday, the Leafs are back in action tonight when they take on the struggling Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo. I'm sure there's no love lost between Sabres fans and the Leafs, nor the Sabres themselves and the Leafs. After all, they're heated division rivals. Still, that doesn't mean that the players don't respect one another.
On Thursday, ahead of their game against the Leafs, Sabres defenseman
Rasmus Dahlin revealed that he is actually scared of one member of the Leafs' forward corps. No, it's not the injured
Ryan Reaves, nor is it
Auston Matthews, who famously cross-checked him in the head/neck during the Hertiage Classic a couple of short seasons back. It's actually his countryman,
William Nylander.
"Oh, he's scary to play against. He's so fast, but he's so shifty There's so many times you think you have him, but you don't. He's one of the hardest players to play against in this league." - Dahlin on Nylander
During the recent Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden, we all caught a glimpse of just how much Sweden admires and adores Nylander. He is a bona-fide rockstar back home and it's no surprise that even other NHLers from Sweden hold him in such high regard.
Nylander has taken a huge step forward this season in terms of his overall play. Not only is his production up, but he's also paying more attention to his two-way game as well. He has become a real problem for the opposition at both ends of the ice and one of the Leafs' top players, without a doubt - which is crazy when you consider the spoils of riches the Leafs possess at the top of the lineup.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
POLL |
DECEMBRE 21 | 1014 ANSWERS Sabres superstar admits to actually fearing one Maple Leaf and it's not Auston Matthews Has William Nylander actually become the Maple Leafs' best forward? |
Yes, he's been unreal this year | 324 | 32 % |
No, it's still Matthews | 594 | 58.6 % |
No, it's Marner | 73 | 7.2 % |
No, it's Tavares | 23 | 2.3 % |
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