Auston Matthews and William Nylander will compete for $1M

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Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews and William Nylander have been chosen with a chance to add another $1 million to their wallets in the NHL all-star skills competition.

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The new format for the all-star game appetizer, will crown a points winner for all eight events in shooting, skating and passing. The list of 12 was released Wednesday night.

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The list also includes Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak, Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov.

Each player will compete in four of the first six events and earn points based on how high they place. The initial six are fastest skater, hardest shot, stick handling, one timers, passing challenge and accuracy shooting.

Matthews, the unofficial host of all-star week in Toronto as the Leafs’ league-leading goal scorer, will be in the hardest shot, passing, shooting accuracy and one-timer events. Nylander is in fastest skater, passing, stick handling and accuracy. Let’s just say McDavid and MacKinnon among others present quite a challenge.

The top eight advance to a seventh contest, a 1-on-1 against a goalie of their choice. The top six then move on to the final, an obstacle course where points will be doubled.

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