William Nylander jokes with the Swedish media about hoping the Leafs don't allow him to attend Worlds next time
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander arrived in Finland on Friday and joined the Swedish National Team on Saturday in an attempt to help Tre Kronor pursue glory at the IIHF World Championship tournament and skate away with gold on May 29th.
Nylander had a chance to speak with the Swedish media on Saturday, where he had stated something very odd. Nylander revealed that he hopes he doesn't get another opportunity to join Sweden in the future for the tournament. Why? Well, that part cleared up exactly what he meant by not wanting another crack at gold with Tre Kronor at the World Championships. He said that playing in the tournament would mean that the Leafs were eliminated early once again - something he doesn't want to see happen.
Nylander had a sensational campaign with the Leafs in 2021-22, amassing a career-high 34 goals and 80 points in 81 games and an additional 7 points in 7 playoff games, coming up just short of eliminating the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 26-year-old winger helped Sweden secure gold at the 2017 World Championship tournament. He's hoping to be able to replicate that success in what he aims to make his last tournament as the Leafs push to become a true contender and break through the glass ceiling that's been holding them back from the second round for the last 6 consecutive seasons with this core.
| POLL | ||
MAI 21 | 437 ANSWERS William Nylander jokes with the Swedish media about hoping the Leafs don't allow him to attend Worlds next time Does William Nylander open the 2022-23 season as a Maple Leaf? | ||
| Yes | 253 | 57.9 % |
| No | 184 | 42.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
