Updated 18.35 | Published 18.33
Sam Hallam was at the Globe to check in and talk with Swedish NHL players.
William Nylander had a straight fairytale week as he single-handedly led the Toronto Maple Leafs.
– Probably the biggest in the world right now, says Union captain Trey Kronor.
During the restroom in Tampere in May, William Nylander reportedly wanted to attend and was on his way.
Eventually, Trey Cronauer announced that there would be no more players on the team.
-For us, there were no strange things. We had a conversation, and then it was the others who speculated. There’s not much to sort out. “We tried to be as honest as possible and only come up with something that was tangible,” says Sam Hallam.
Figure it out in the toilet
As for the upcoming World Cup in the Czech Republic, there is a lot to do if William Nylander is to be relevant.
This is partly because he is on an expiring contract and is expected to sign a huge contract, and partly because the Toronto Maple Leafs have a team that can go far in the Stanley Cup.
– It does not work with the situation he is in now. This was also one of the many reasons it didn’t look good before the bathroom either, says Sam Hallam.
Met over the summer
With the uproar surrounding William Nylander during his week in Stockholm, it was difficult for them to find the time and space to speak.
– He’s busy when he’s here. We had mass at the beginning of the week. It’s never quiet around William Nylander and everyone wants to talk to him, but there are better times for us to talk. It might be best to visit it in Toronto, says Sam Hallam.
How is the relationship between you and William Nylander?
– Our relationship is good, of course. We caught up with him and two other Swedish NHL players in Stockholm in August. We obviously had some contact with him and the people around him before the bathroom last spring.
1/2Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT
The captain of the national team praised him
Sam Hallam liked what he saw from William Nylander at the Globe and praised him highly.
The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four points and William Nylander scored five points in these two games. He came out in the third period against the Detroit Wings and turned around and won the game for them. Against the Minnesota Wild, he came in and made the decision. Sam Hallam says: It’s as if you think some things are scripted.
Sweden has two of the best players in the world right now.
Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks leads the NHL’s scoring charts with 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 18 games.
William Nylander ranks fifth with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 17 games.
– It’s great fun to have two players who are among the best in the world. William Nylander, as we’ve seen here now, is a world-class player among other world-class players, he stands out. It is of incomparable high quality when it flashes. He has a lot of confidence, he plays in the box and he gets involved. Sam Hallam says: “He’s a fantastically good player.
The Globe’s four-game NHL week ended with William Nylander’s overtime decision on a solo goal from his own zone.