William Nylander Fires Playful Shot at Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
With the 4 Nations Face-Off quickly approaching, William Nylander has fired a playful little warning shot at Maple Leafs teammate Auston Matthews.
This year, rather than taking part in a traditional All-Star Game, the National Hockey League has opted to hold an international best-on-best tournament instead, with Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States clashing in the 4 Nations Face-Off to determine who is the best nation in the NHL.
Four Maple Leafs will represent their home nations in the tournament, with Mitch Marner making Team Canada, Jani Hakanpaa playing for Finland, William Nylander suiting up for Sweden and Leafs captain Auston Matthews as the top dog for Team USA.
On Wednesday, William Nylander was asked about the tournament and whether or not he and his Leafs teammates put any money on the line to make the exhibition a little more interesting. His response caught everyone off guard.
"No, not yet. But I was telling Matty [Auston Matthews] that we might drop the gloves."
Naturally, Nylander was obviously speaking in jest, but his assertion certainly made it seem like Sweden was preparing for battle and that they're not attending the tournament to finish 2nd.
Team Canada's Brad Marchand already stated emphatically that nobody is attending this tournament for a participation medal and that "guys are going to be out for blood". So, by the sounds of things, this tournament will be anything but friendly.
Matthews, who has an important decision to make regarding his participation in the tournament, has not yet responded to Nylander's humourous little warning shot, but with the Toronto media being what it is, I'm sure it won't be long before someone makes Matthews aware of Nylander's comments and seeks a response from the Leafs' captain.
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