William Nylander, a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs, has decided not to join Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Championships in Finland and Latvia. Although Swedish newspaper Sportsbladet reported that the 27-year-old Nylander would join the team, the winger ultimately chose not to participate.
Nylander was initially reluctant to join Sweden in the final stages of the tournament and could have risked being removed from the roster by another player who contributed to the team in five games. His younger brother, Alex, was previously tipped by TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.
During his eight seasons in the NHL, Nylander achieved career highs of 40 and 87 in 82 games with the Maple Leafs. He also scored four goals and ten points in 11 playoff games before the Maple Leafs’ season ended with a five-game second-round loss to the Florida Panthers.
Nylander was drafted eighth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2014 and has scored 177 goals and scored 430 in 521 career games. Sweden is currently second in Group A at the World Championships with a 4-1-0 record, even without the older Nylander on their team.