William Nylander had a very wholesome reason for not taking part in this year's IIHF World Championship for Sweden
Earlier this week, it was reported that William Nylander intended to fly overseas to join Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Championship in Finland and Latvia. Nylander has a solid track record of representing Sweden at Worlds and it's easy to assume that the possibility of playing alongside his younger brother Alex, current teammate Timothy Liljegren, and former teammate Rasmus Sandin was appealing. Still, yesterday it was announced that Nylander would no longer be playing for the Tre Kronor. Upon first hearing the news, Leafs Nation was upset with the decision, assuming the order had come down from above to deny his request to attend. However, the real reason why he won't be going is actually very heartwarming.
In complete fairness, the Sweden Men's National Team never confirmed that the elder Nylander would be joining their roster almost a week into the tournament. However, Alex Nylander was a part of the roster from the get-go and has played five games with the team. He has played as Sweden's 13th forward for most of the tournament thus far and has one point, making it likely that he would've been bumped for his brother to have a spot on the team instead.
Nevertheless, I wouldn't be surprised that William is in the stands cheering for his brother as he reps their country for the remainder of the tournament. I also think there will be plenty of opportunities to see him in a Team Sweden jersey again.
| POLL | ||
MAI 21 | 312 ANSWERS William Nylander had a very wholesome reason for not taking part in this year's IIHF World Championship for Sweden Do you hope the Leafs keep William Nylander and re-sign him long-term? | ||
| Yes, absolutely | 179 | 57.4 % |
| No, he's gone this summer | 97 | 31.1 % |
| No, he's gone next summer as a UFA | 24 | 7.7 % |
| I don't even want to think about him leaving | 12 | 3.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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