Craig Berube makes honest admission on Mitch Marner, William Nylander & $53,000,000 superstar’s participation in 4 Nations Face-Off

Toronto Maple Leafs core players Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander will represent their countries in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Matthews will play for Team USA, Marner for Team Canada and Nylander for Team Sweden. The tournament will run from February 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

The Leafs are entering the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a record of 33-20-2. They are second in the Atlantic Division and have won three of their last four games.

Toronto coach Craig Berube shared his thoughts on their star players' participation.

“They are pretty excited," Berube said on Sunday, via Leafslatest. It is a big stage. They are all on different teams, and they all want to win. They’re all important players on those teams. They are big-time players. I think it is going to be a great thing to watch. We’ll see what happens.”

Matthews, who signed a four-year $53 million contract in 2023, will be a key player for Team USA. According to NHL.com, he will center the second line with Kyle Connor and Jack Hughes. The team includes stars like Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Connor Hellebuyck is expected to be the starting goalie.

Marner will play for Team Canada and is projected to be on the second line with Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand. Canada has a strong lineup, featuring Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon on the top line. Cale Makar and Devon Toews lead the defense while Adin Hill is expected to start in goal.

Nylander will be an important player for Team Sweden and he will play in a line with Jesper Bratt and Mika Zibanejad. Sweden usually has a strong two-way game and reliable goaltending. Minnesota Wild's Filip Gustavsson will be the team's primary goalie.

The tournament features Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland competing in a round-robin format. Practices begin on Wednesday and games start on Thursday. The event will take place at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.

Mitch Marner is excited to play for Team Canada

Mitch Marner is excited to play for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He values the chance to unite with teammates for his country. This is the first best-on-best tournament since 2016 and he appreciates how the nation comes together for one goal.

“For sure it will be different,” Marner said on Jan. 17, via NHL.com. “That’s something you appreciate when the entire country comes together and we become one nation, one team. That’s something that’s really cool and something we all appreciate.”

Canada’s coach Jon Cooper is pleased to have Marner on the team.