William Nylander receives some upsetting news from the Leafs

Shortly after Nylander and the Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers, it was reported by Finnish and Swedish news outlets that Nylander was preparing to join his native Sweden at the World Championship tournament. Well, according to TSN's Gord Miller, that is no longer the case.

Miller shared a Swedish news outlet report early Saturday morning, which revealed that Nylander would no longer be joining Sweden. Now, most of the speculation surrounds the Leafs declining his request to play for Sweden.

Now, obviously, it's not about not wanting any of the Leafs' players to go and represent their country, because Timothy Liljegren was granted and is currently playing with Sweden now. This seems to be more about not wanting to risk an injury with a potential trade coming up in Toronto. Nylander and teammate Mitch Marner appear to be the two members of the Core 4 who make the most sense to deal. If Nylander were to suffer a serious injury in the tournament, it would limit what the Leafs are able to do this summer, so in that sense, it makes a lot of sense not to allow him to go.

The problem here is that Nylander is almost always there to represent his country whenever the opportunity arises. Being told no by the Leafs just weeks before he's due a contract extension could have an impact on negotiations and perhaps even sour him on the organization as a whole - especially with all of the changes afoot right now. This will be a storyline worth keeping an eye on. We'll provide any updates as they become available.