Leafs' William Nylander jokes Matthews could cause tension with All-Star draft
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander caused a bit of a reaction on social media with a friendly chirp at one of his teammates on Thursday.
Nylander is one of four Leafs at the All-Star Game, taking place this Saturday at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
Auston Matthews is captaining his own team for the event with teammate Morgan Rielly serving as an assistant, leaving the pair of players with the opportunity to select either Nylander or Mitch Marner with his first pick.
Taking to the stage at a downtown Toronto Sportchek location as part of a live taping of The Fan Club podcast hosted by the influencer group The Hockey Guys, Nylander was asked by a fan if he’d get offended should he not be picked first by Matthews.
“It’s between me or Mitch so one of us might be a little upset,” Nylander joked.
Fans had all sorts of reactions to the quote from Nylander, offering their own interpretations of what exactly he meant by it.
i think we all know that mitch will never ever let it go if auston doesn’t pick him first https://t.co/yFfJQqhy8Y
— kait (taylor’s version) (@witchmarner) February 1, 2024
one of them is an unbothered chill dude the other one is Mitch Marner https://t.co/UfRnPXddaQ
— Megan (@imtoo_obsessed) February 1, 2024
I almost want him to pick neither for the lols https://t.co/mzLn7KHkm5
— Téa 🖤 (@icry2x) February 1, 2024
auston trade up a la burkie and take them both. like the sedin twins but better https://t.co/BP5rDS9HaG
— lisa barlow's voice coach (@TheHockeyBoomer) February 1, 2024
u see these guys? hes choosing mitch https://t.co/DrYWHofcpd pic.twitter.com/y5dwn7nMgA
— rain (mourning editon) ♡ (@ra1ncoat_) February 1, 2024
auston trade up a la burkie and take them both. like the sedin twins but better https://t.co/BP5rDS9HaG
— lisa barlow's voice coach (@TheHockeyBoomer) February 1, 2024
he’s gonna pick mitch bc willy won’t take it personal if he does but mitch will probably if he takes willy first😭 https://t.co/C0WQ8JYOqV
— m (@hbwknies) February 1, 2024
It’s the first appearance for both Nylander and Rielly at the All-Star Game, while Marner is appearing in his third. Matthews, meanwhile, is a seasoned veteran of All-Star Games at this point, being selected for the seventh time this year (though he missed the 2020 contest due to injury).
In any case, it’s only a few hours before things get underway for the event itself, where we’ll have answers on however Matthews chooses to use his selection.
The All-Star player draft kicks off on Sportsnet at 6 pm ET, and will be followed by a 3-on-3 showcase of PWHL players.
- You might also like:
- Tessa Virtue, Leafs star Morgan Rielly had two secret weddings last year
Follow Channels and Categories