William Nylander spoke on his injury after missing multiple Team Sweden skates
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
William Nylander explained his injury that kept him out of practices for Team Sweden and reassured fans of both Toronto and the Tre Kronor that he is just fine.
Although William Nylander was the hero against Team Italy, his absence at practice the following day was not a good sign considering that he missed his second skate-around and it started to get concerning that maybe he wasn't exactly 100%.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson explained that he was resting and the Swedish coaching group assured everyone it was just a maintenance day, but as we've seen during his time with Toronto -- that could be bad news.
Nylander brushes off injury concerns after two practice absences
But Nylander wasn't shy about letting everyone know he was A-OK even though he missed practice, and there's really going to be no issues going forward.
Nylander told reporters that he was doing just fine, and that he feels good enough to be that dynamic offensive player Sweden needs -- and Oliver Ekman-Larsson confirmed he's been his old self without a doubt:
I feel good. It's no problem.
Ekman-Larsson then gushed about how Nylander is still using his speed to cause havoc on the ice:
He's been flying...yeah. He's just being Willy.
It's a great sign that not only does Nylander feel himself, but that he is healthy enough to have a strong tournament the hopefully translate that into a strong comeback upon return from the Olympic break.
Why a Nylander injury scare caused so much anxiety
Nylander has been a bright spot in a truly up and down season, as he has 52 points in 40 games this season (18 goals, 34 assists) though has missed a fair chunk of the season with various injuries.
It's why the absences cause so much hesitation and anxiety for fans because we've see this rodeo before and the maintenance days in Toronto have ranged from a couple days to a couple weeks off; there's no real way to tell.
Hopefully Nylander can be taken at his word and we don't need to worry about him missing any practices going forward, though it may also be a case of Sweden wanting to keep one of their most dangerous weapons ready for game action.
Whatever the case, if Nylander can keep doing what he's done this season then the Swedish team may have as good a chance as any to take home to gold at then end of the day.
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