WA-NYR-TradeRumours Mika Zibanejad is expected to play on the first line for Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off with William Nylander and Rickard Rakell. At Sweden’s first practice, Zibanejad’s first-line role was made crystal clear. Zibanejad now teams up with Nylander, who is arguably the best Swedish forward in the world as he had high praise for him. "I'm not really surprised how good he is, but it's just in terms of his, I think, just the puck-handling. And the way he sees the ice, obviously his all-around game, really," Zibanejad said of Nylander. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-william-nylander-joins-swedens-top-line-with-rakell-and-zibanejad-at-4-nations-face-off] "The way he's been for the past couple of years has been awesome to see. Maybe not as much fun to play against, but I get a chance to play with him now, so I'm excited." Between Zibanejad, Nylander and Rakell, there’s already a feeling of comfortability from the moment they stepped on the ice together, which is a good sign considering the 4 Nations Face-Off starts in two days. "I think you already felt chemistry right off the bat in practice, so that was nice," Nylander said. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-william-nylander-joins-swedens-top-line-with-rakell-and-zibanejad-at-4-nations-face-off] This season with the Rangers, Zibanejad has recorded 11 goals, 26 assists and 37 points in 55 games while averaging 18:22 minutes.
