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William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren Reportedly Joining Sweden At Worlds

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According to a report from Swedish outlet Sportbladet, a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winger William Nylander and defenseman Timothy Liljegren are joining the Swedish squad, while Sweden has reportedly sent defensemen Joel Persson and Christian Folin home from the tournament to create room on the roster.

After a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, Nylander and Liljegren are now set to bring their skills and experience to the international stage. The news bolsters a Swedish contingent that’s yet to lose through three games at the tournament, although they’ve struggled to produce offense outside of a 5-0 win against Austria.

Nylander should help with those scoring woes, coming off the first 40-goal season of his NHL career. He’s been money in the bank for Sweden at this tournament, recording 15 goals and 37 points in just 21 World Championship appearances across three tournaments (2017, 2019, 2022). It’s a significant boon to a Swedish team that has scored just three goals in two games against Germany and Finland, including a shootout marker.

Joining him is Liljegren, who’s made significant strides in his all-around ability since the last time he represented Sweden internationally at the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship. One of the more intriguing young two-way defenders in the sport, Liljegren now gets a chance to add an additional spark to a Sweden defensive corps that’s excelled thus far at the tournament, one that includes former teammate and defense partner Rasmus Sandin.

Neither Persson nor Folin had suited up yet for Sweden in the tournament. While they’re both capable contributors to the Swedish lineup, and both have NHL experience, the swap for Nylander and Liljegren is a significant upgrade to a Swedish team with hopes of capturing the gold medal at this tournament.

Sweden can make it four games without a loss when they take on Hungary on Thursday.

Pittsburgh Penguins Place Ryan Poehling On LTIR, Recall Alex Nylander

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The Pittsburgh Penguins today placed forward Ryan Poehling on long-term injured reserve and used an emergency recall on forward Alex Nylander, per a team release.

Poehling’s LTIR placement is retroactive to February 14, meaning he’s eligible to be activated as soon as tomorrow. The 24-year-old forward has missed the past 10 games with a lingering upper-body injury.

Nylander, the eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft and the younger brother of William Nylander, earns his first recall as a member of the Penguins organization. Acquired in a one-for-one swap for Sam Lafferty with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, Nylander is amidst a breakout season in the AHL with 25 goals and 50 points in 54 games.

While he won’t reach the ceiling of a top-ten draft pick, his steady offensive increase in the minors over the past few years suggests Nylander can carve out a consistent NHL role for himself shortly. It wasn’t long ago that he produced decent numbers in a full-time opportunity with Chicago, recording 26 points in 65 games in 2019-20 before a knee injury held him out of the 2020-21 season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Schenn, Thompson

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux taking home the top spot. The veteran scored four goals and seven points in three games, taking him to 19 and 47 on the year. Giroux is now 30 points shy of 1,000 for his career, and is scoring at nearly a point-per-game rate with the Senators, even at age 35.

It was an Atlantic Division sweep this week, as William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning took home second and third place respectively. Nylander continues to play at a different level for Toronto this year, scoring 28 goals and 59 points in 51 games. Vasilevskiy allowed just six goals on 102 shots across three games, winning them all. After leading the league in wins for five-straight seasons, Vasilevskiy has now closed the gap and trails Linus Ullmark by just two.

  • Luke Schenn has emerged as one of the most talked-about trade deadline chips, thanks to his low salary, Stanley Cup experience, and physicality. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff takes a deep dive into Schenn’s market, suggesting clubs like Boston, Minnesota, Calgary, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Vegas could all benefit from adding the veteran defenseman.
  • Tage Thompson is listed as day-to-day for the Buffalo Sabres, with head coach Don Granato telling reporters including Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News that the star forward has been dealing with some nagging injuries. Granato does expect Thompson to be on the ice tomorrow and isn’t ruling him out for Wednesday’s game. What that means for his All-Star appearance isn’t clear, as it would provide a good chance for him to recover, if still bothered by injury later this week.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Hockey Canada, Jiricek

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with an unlikely name leading the way. Charlie Lindgren, who stepped into a starting role for the Washington Capitals with Darcy Kuemper injured, went 4-0 with a .949 save percentage. The veteran netminder allowed two or fewer goals in all four games and has helped the Capitals claw their way back into the Metropolitan Division race. Signed to a three-year deal in the offseason, Lindgren has already nearly set a career-high in appearances for a single season.

Because of that outstanding performance, Tage Thompson’s five-goal game was good enough for only second place. The Buffalo Sabres forward had seven points, though six of those came in one outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game that saw him play a season-low 13:56 after it got out of hand early. Thompson now has 21 goals and 41 points in 28 games so far this year. The third star went to Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who had his own five-point effort over the weekend, taking him over a point-per-game pace on the year. The 26-year-old winger is averaging the most ice time of his career and is on pace to set career highs in basically every offensive category.

  • Hockey Canada has released its nominees for a new board of directors, a group that will serve on a one-year term if confirmed by a member vote on Saturday. Among those nominated is Cassie Campbell-Pascall, a familiar name for hockey fans both for her days as a player and broadcaster. Campbell-Pascall captained Team Canada to Olympic gold twice, and won six World Championship gold medals over her decorated playing career.
  • David Jiricek will be loaned to the World Juniors by the Columbus Blue Jackets to play for Czechia at the upcoming event, joining several other top prospects headed to the event. The sixth-overall pick from 2022 made his NHL debut and played two games for the Blue Jackets earlier this year. A force in the minor leagues, the 6’3″ defenseman has 13 points in 15 games for the Cleveland Monsters.

Evening Notes: Nylander, Maple Leafs Injuries, Sillinger

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans figure to have a tense few months throughout the 2023-24 NHL calendar, as superstar Auston Matthews will be eligible for an extension, and should he choose not to pursue one in Toronto, could head to the UFA market. But, even if Matthews were to re-sign, the UFA worry wouldn’t stop there, as William Nylander is also set to hit the market in the summer of 2024. It doesn’t feel like too long ago when Nylander held out as an RFA, ultimately signing a six-year, $45MM deal at the last minute on December 1st of 2018, but that long-term deal is now more than halfway complete.

Recently, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel had a chance to sit down with Nylander to discuss his future. When asked about the possibility of an extension with the Maple Leafs or testing the free agent market, Nylander said it wasn’t something he had really thought much of, but added that it would be “unreal to stay,” especially if the team could go on a deep playoff run before then. Looking deeper into an extension, Siegel opines that if Nylander can build upon his 2021-22, where he had 80 points in 81 games, and help Toronto make a deep playoff run, not only does an extension with the Maple Leafs become more likely, but it could push his number to at least $9MM per season. On the other hand, if Toronto is still unable to take the next step in the playoffs, they could opt to move on from Nylander. Of course, there is still plenty of time for Nylander to establish who he is as a talent and two more postseasons before his contract formally expires but, as one of five members of a group of Maple Leafs superstars who may figure to earn a raise from his $6.96MM cap hit, the Maple Leafs could be poised to make an interesting decision either way.

  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, the team lost two of its defenseman in tonight’s preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens before the game was even half over. Veteran Jordie Benn, who signed with Toronto this offseason, suffered an undisclosed injury early on in the first period and left the game. The Maple Leafs have since announced that he will not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Also injured was Carl Dahlstrom, who the team soon after announced would not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Losing the pair puts the Maple Leafs in a tough circumstance early on in a preseason game, left with just four defenseman. At one point, forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Alexander Kerfoot were taking shifts on defense for Toronto.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that, per Columbus Blue Jackets radio host Dylan Tyrer, forward Cole Sillinger skated today in a non-contact sweater after he suffered an upper-body injury on the first day of training camp. Today’s skate was Sillinger’s first since the injury, and no timetable for a more formal return has been disclosed.

Morning Notes: Nylander, Sweden, Dubois

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The Swedish national team is getting a nice boost for the rest of the World Championship, as Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will join for the event. Nylander last appeared at the tournament in 2019, where he scored an incredible 18 points in eight games, two years after being named MVP in his first appearance.

Nylander is coming off his best season in the NHL. In 81 games, he racked up 34 goals and 80 points, both career highs, and was a point-per-game player in the team’s first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite all that, his name continues to surface in trade speculation as the Maple Leafs have been unable to find any semblance of postseason success with this group.

  • There’s going to be an interesting development in Swedish women’s hockey for next season, as the SDHL’s second tier will introduce a pilot program allowing certain body checks. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN details the new rules, which are based on a study that suggests with increased physical play, the players have actually increased their on-ice awareness, resulting in fewer concussions. In international play, body checking continues to be banned in the women’s game.
  • One of the more interesting names to watch at the Worlds right now is Pierre-Luc Dubois, who is playing for Canada despite not having an NHL contract for next season. If his hope was to show off a little bit more before a contract negotiation, it’s going well, as he is tied for the tournament lead with four goals and leads Canada with six points. Dubois, 23, is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer and will be due a qualifying offer of $6MM just for the Jets to retain his rights.

Injury Notes: Muzzin, Nylander, Ladd

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According to Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, defenseman Jake Muzzin is expected to return for Toronto tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers, reports TSN’s Mark Masters. Because goaltender Petr Mrazek has been moved to LTIR after his groin injury last week, Toronto will be able to activate Muzzin without having to make any corresponding salary cap moves. Muzzin went down with an injury on February 21st and has not played since.

In the meantime, Toronto acquired defenseman Mark Giordano from the Seattle Kraken. Adding Muzzin back into the fold along with Giordano would surely give Toronto a very deep defense core and allow Keefe to control Muzzin’s minutes as he works his way back into the lineup.

  • Also on the Maple Leafs, forward William Nylander will not play tonight in Tampa due to illness, as Toronto takes on the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports David Alter of The Leafs Nation. Drawing in for Nylander is Kyle Clifford, who has played in just 17 games this year between Toronto and the St. Louis Blues, having been shuffled between the NHL, AHL, and the Taxi Squad for most of the year. In these times, seeing Nylander scratched due to illness raises concerns of COVID-19, however the illness appears to be unrelated and there have been no reports of Nylander being placed into protocol.
  • After playing yesterday for the first time since February 20th due to injury, Andrew Ladd is out of the lineup tonight for the Arizona Coyotes as they take on the Blues, the team announced. Arizona has listed Ladd as day-to-day, a potentially encouraging sign that the veteran forward will not be out long-term once again. In 43 games this year, Ladd has six goals and three assists, but regardless of injury, the former captain has been a tremendous asset to help mentor many of the young Coyotes players.

Matthews, Nylander Expected To Return To Maple Leafs’ Lineup

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will get a boost on Sunday as both Auston Matthews and William Nylander are expected to return against the Vancouver Canucks, according to Toronto Star’s Mark Zwolinski.

Matthews missed one game due to a wrist injury, but many feared that his wrist could keep him out longer. However, the 23-year-old skated at full speed at practice Saturday and now has been cleared to go on Sunday. Matthews has 32 goals and 53 points in 40 games this season.

Nylander has been on the COVID protocol list and has missed five games, but has tested negative since coming in contact with a person with COVID-19. The 24-year-old skated Saturday on the second line and is ready to go despite the layoff.

“I’m expecting him to play just as if he didn’t miss anything,” Keefe said of Nylander.

Nylander has 13 goals and 30 points in 39 games this season.

Snapshots: Stuetzle, Thornton, Duclair, Spurgeon

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The Ottawa Senators have already been in camp for several days already, but the team will get another big name player into camp soon as 2020 first-round pick Tim Stuetzle arrived in Ottawa Saturday night. The 18-year-old is coming off an impressive performance at the World Junior Championship after he led Team Germany to one of the countries best finishes ever. After a seven-day quarantine, he will join his team and is likely to start his NHL career, according to the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch.

“I hope I’m going to play in the NHL this season, that’s 100% my goal and I will work very hard for that,” Stuetzle told reporters in Edmonton following Germany’s elimination in the quarterfinals.

Stuetzle finished the World Juniors with five goals and 10 points in five games. The third-overall pick, who signed his entry-level deal last week, is likely going to play wing for the Senators this season.

PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

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