The Maple Leafs’ 4 Nations Face-Off viewing guide: Schedules, storylines and more

The 4 Nations Face-Off begins Wednesday, which leads us to an obvious question: How does this affect the Maple Leafs? All kidding aside, if youre a Leafs fan following the NHL/NHLPA-run tournament featuring Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland, theres no shortage of intrigue.

With many nations excluded from competition, the Leafs are one of the few NHL teams sending their three best players (Auston Matthews, USA; Mitch Marner, Canada; and William Nylander, Sweden) to the tournament.

Advertisement Leafs fans will certainly have a lot to watch through the eight-day tournament, with at least one Leaf playing in each game on the schedule: Wednesday, Feb.

12 Canada vs.

Sweden, 8 p.m.

ET Thursday, Feb.

13 United States vs.

Finland, 8 p.m.

ET Saturday, Feb.

15 Finland vs.

Sweden, 1 p.m.

ET United States vs.

Canada, 8 p.m.

ET Monday, Feb.

17 Canada vs.

Finland, 1 p.m.

ET Sweden vs.

United States, 8 p.m.

ET Thursday, Feb.

20 Championship game, 8 p.m.

ET Lets break down some of the best Leafs-centric storylines to watch: Matthews under pressure as USA captain On paper, Team USA has put together arguably their most talented group for a best-on-best(ish) tournament ever.

Few would be surprised if the U.S.

wins the final on Feb.

20.

But what is slightly surprising is the captain choice.

Auston Matthews is a generational goal scorer and Team USAs best player.

But he doesnt have the experience of long playoff runs and a Stanley Cup that Matthew Tkachuk has.

Yes, Matthews currently captains the Leafs.

He is also in his first year doing so.

It adds up to a fair bit of pressure on Matthews to deliver as captain of a team that has designs on winning this tournament.

Of course, Matthews is no stranger to pressure while playing in Toronto.

Thats likely part of what made him a landslide pick as captain by the U.S.

hockey operations and coaching staff.

This will be a crucial tournament for Matthews as he prepares to captain the Leafs in the playoffs for the first time.

How he deals with continued media attention and whether he continues to evolve as a dressing room voice will be something to keep an eye on for Leafs fans.

Matthews health There was a time not long ago when it seemed possible Matthews wouldnt play in the 4 Nations Face-Off due to a lingering, mysterious injury.

You could make the case that, despite improved play since returning from injury, he still hasnt hit the highs of his 69-goal campaign last season.

And that naturally leads to questions about his health and the decision to play in a tournament that has nothing to do with the Leafs.

Advertisement Will Matthews stay healthy through the 4 Nations Face-Off and down the stretch of the NHL regular season? Its still difficult to know how seriously players will lean into the physical element of the game through this tournament, but whether Matthews will emerge healthy in eight days is a key concern in Toronto.

Nylander expected to drive offence for Sweden There are a few things that we know William Nylander loves: naps, sushi, shirtless interviews and, perhaps above all, playing in the stunning yellow Tre Kronor jersey.

In 2015, Nylander led all Swedes and finished tied for second in World Juniors scoring.

In 2017, he was named MVP of the gold medal-winning Swedish team at the world championships.

Two years later, he led the world championships in scoring with an outlandish 18 points in eight games.

Oh, and the moment he probably became a bona fide NHL star came last season as he dominated through the Leafs two regular season games in Sweden.

Nylander often plays second fiddle in the Leafs offence, but that wont be the case in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Hes expected to drive play for Sweden .

And given his track record, he looks up for the task.

Watching Nylander have a chance to be the guy in a way he isnt always in Toronto will be a key storyline.

Theres a joy he plays with that should simply make for great hockey.

Full disclosure: I did not vote in our recent 4 Nations Face-Off writer poll (blame my buddy of 30 years for getting married last week in Cancun), but had I done so, I would have considered Nylander for tournament MVP.

Hes won MVP at an international tournament before, after all.

And if Sweden pulls off an upset, theres a strong chance he does so again.

Marner paired with McDavid We know Canada coach Jon Cooper is an ardent admirer of Mitch Marner.

But so much so that he would put Marner on a de facto top Canadian line alongside the greatest player in the world, Connor McDavid? Advertisement Well, youve got speed, youve got brains, and youve got guys that can shoot it in the net, Cooper said of his top line, with Sam Reinhart.

You hand me a line like that, Ill take my chances.

Seeing how Marner, one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NHL, plays alongside McDavid could make for must-watch hockey.

How Marner responds to the opportunity will be fascinating.

Coming back to our writer poll, its a head-scratcher no one considered Marner for Canadas leading scorer.

With some power play minutes likely and consistent minutes alongside McDavid now a given, is it that strange a shout? You have a guy playing in a contract year and looking for every opportunity to prove hes one of best offensive players in the league.

And so if Im betting on any Canada line this tournament to produce a highlight-reel goal that can be shared alongside Mario Lemieuxs goal from Wayne Gretzky in 1987 or Paul Kariyas goal off Lemieuxs fake in 2002? McDavid and Marner would be my pick here.

A Marner confidence boost? Marner has not played a lot of international hockey compared to his Leafs peers and his experiences playing for Canada havent always gone well.

His lone run at the World Juniors was a disaster as Canada flamed out in the quarterfinals in 2016.

A year later at the World Championships, Marner finished second in Canadian scoring with 12 points in 10 games.

But Canada still lost to Sweden in the gold medal game.

Nearly all of the games greats also have some international success on their resume.

Thats a missing piece for a player who is already one of the best Leafs of all time.

So what could a decisive win for Canada, with Marner getting prime minutes, do for his future? Could winning must-win games in this tournament have any impact on his approach and mentality with the Leafs come playoff time? Advertisement Marner is a low-key important player to watch.

Playing a vital role on a tournament-winning team could bolster his confidence ahead of a stretch drive and Leafs playoff run.

Recovery for the rest of the lineup The Leafs have one of the oldest teams in the NHL and have been beset by injuries this season.

Add it up and two-ish weeks off from games and practice could end up doing the Leafs a world of good ahead of what they hope is a deep playoff run.

That starts on the blue line.

The Leafs top four are all 30 years or older.

Though Chris Tanev was likely in the running for one of the final blue line spots for Canada, how much will the Leafs oldest defencemen benefit from some time to rest? Weve seen what his body endures night after night in Toronto this season.

Some time not blocking shots could be good for Tanev.

Morgan Rielly was just hitting his stride on the Leafs recent road trip, but a little time away from the game and with his young family could be positive for him and his mentality.

Joseph Woll has repeatedly claimed hes dealt well with the increased workload.

But having played 30 of the Leafs 55 games after only playing 25 games in all last season alone? Hes deserved the chance to rest.

The Leafs undoubtedly hope he makes the most of his time off as the likelihood of him being the Game 1 playoff starter is increasing.

Up front, Max Pacioretty and John Tavares are two aging forwards who could use time to heal injuries theyve dealt with this season.

And while were at it, the chance for Max Domi to hit the reset button might be welcomed.

The Leafs have four games in seven nights once they return to the ice.

What they look like in an almost-immediate road trip could tell us plenty about how beneficial the rest actually was for them.

Deals incoming? Theres no trade or transaction freeze during the 4 Nations Face-Off.

And the race to the March 7 trade deadline started early this season thanks to the Mikko Rantanen blockbuster.

Advertisement Does that mean Brad Treliving will make necessary upgrades to his team while most of them are relaxing in sunny locales? While its possible, were skeptical.

The Athletic s Chris Johnston has made it clear, its unlikely there will be much official team business during the 4 Nations break.

But that doesnt mean there wont be questions about a Leafs roster that could use potential upgrades at centre and on the blue line .

Could trade talk heat up over the next eight days? (Top photo of USA captain Auston Matthews on Tuesday: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.