PK Subban praises $92,800,000 Maple Leafs forward for Game 1 performance; adds Matthew Knies to superstar "Core 4"

PK Subban praised William Nylander during the ESPN broadcast of Game 1 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. Nylander scored two goals and had one assist in the first period. Toronto held on to beat Florida 5-4 at Scotiabank Arena.

"This guy is an elite player," Subban said on ESPN's "Sportscenter". "The media, fans, everybody is going to talk about inconsistencies, but I tell you — when it comes to talent and big game players, this guy loves the moment. The bigger the moment gets, the bigger the game. He steps up in the big games, and I like the way he plays.

"Maybe that has to do with the hockey bloodlines," he added. "He's been groomed for it. But this guy is a big game player and he showed it tonight."

Nylander, who is in the first season of his eight-year, $92,000,000 contract, has scored 40-plus goals for the Leafs in the last three seasons. This season, he scored 45 goals, ranking second in the League, and had 39 assists for 84 points.

Subban also said forward Matthew Knies should be added to the Maple Leafs’ “Core 4.” The current group includes Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Nylander.

"But Matthew Knies, ... It's not the core four anymore," Subban continued. "Put him in there. It's the core five. Because without him, they ain't going anywhere ..... He showed it with a big goal, ended up being the winning goal tonight."

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Knies scored a key goal in the third period for the Maple Leafs and added an assist. He gave Toronto a 5-3 lead with a breakaway goal.

Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies talked about his goal

Speaking about his goal, Matthew Knies said he saw an opening to get past Florida’s defense. He praised Mitch Marner for making a strong play on the wall.

"I just saw that I could spring myself past their defense, and Mitch (Marner) made a great play on the wall to get it to me," Knies said via NHL.com. "I just wanted to beat him high on the glove side... I just wanted to elevate that one."

Morgan Rielly scored a goal while Chris Tanev had a goal and an assist. Max Pacioretty and Jake McCabe each had two assists as well. On the other hand, Florida got goals from Sam Bennett, Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis and Seth Jones.

Game 2 will be played on Wednesday in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs leading the series 1-0.

About the author

Abhilasha is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda. Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, her interest in writing hockey was piqued after watching an NHL skills video on YouTube. The 2023 Stanley Cup Finale series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers was among the most iconic games she has seen and it left an impact on her.

Her reporting strengths include covering news stories and following stars like McDavid, Matthews and Alex Ovechkin, among others.

Abhilasha is a huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche because of their skilled forwards, while her favorite players include Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard. For her, John Tortorella is the greatest coach ever.

Abhilasha has over 3 years of experience writing content for different products and websites, along with handling social media content for various brands. She values using credible sources when writing and likes to identify fake and false narratives.

Abhilasha’s hobbies include spiritual reading, staying updated on the latest makeup trends, fitness and exploring new destinations through travel.

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Edited by Veer Badani