William Nylander

What if the Capitals got William Nylander?!

The Washington Capitals are in a tough situation. The meanest way I could put it is: their core is rotting. Kuznetsov wants out, Backstrom isn’t the same, Wilson is still recovering, Mantha isn’t working out, etc, etc etc. We know the team promised Alex Ovechkin they’d be competitive next season, and we know that getting Ovi to the goal-scoring record is a priority as well.

So what if – and this is a big what if – they got Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander to help them out with both of those projects? And how could they do it?

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By Peter Hassett 4 months ago

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‘Swedes on tour’: Toronto Maple Leafs visit Washington DC landmarks ahead of Capitals game

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in Washington, DC for the first time since October of 2019 and a few of their Swedish roster members took advantage of a nice February day to do some sightseeing.

William Nylander, who has childhood ties to the area and is BFFs with Nicklas Backstrom, took his good buddies Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren out and about in the nation’s capital.

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By Chris Cerullo 2 years ago

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Current and former Capitals teammates say really nice things about Nicklas Backstrom

The Washington Capitals went all out to celebrate Nicklas Backstrom’s 1,000th NHL game on Thursday.

The team formed a stick tunnel for Backstrom to skate out to, players wore number 19 jerseys during warmups, and the organization held a pregame ceremony which included a touching tribute video.

The Capitals also debuted a splash page on their website dedicated to all things N1KY, including 20 sweet video messages from Nicky’s past and former teammates and coaches.

We transcribed them all and also dug out a few more tributes from social media.

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By Elizabeth Kong and Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Nicklas Backstrom trolls William Nylander in ridiculous Swedish ‘interview’

Nicklas Backstrom’s friendship with William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs is one that has been well-documented over the years. Dating back to father Michael Nylander’s time as a Washington Capital, Backstrom and the young Nylander spent a lot of time challenging each other to ping-pong matches. They lost touch after William’s father was traded to the Rangers, but reconnected when William was drafted to the NHL by the Leafs in 2014.

In more recent history, the two interviewed each other in a totally natural and completely candid Sportsnet feature, which was sweet, if a little awkward. But now they’ve topped with with a new interview.

In video posted by NHL Sweden on Friday, Backstrom was back in the interviewer’s chair as he asked Nylander a series of increasingly ridiculous questions, which have been translated to English by RMNB’s Magnus Cadelin. You really need to experience this in all of its wonderful, trolling glory.

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By Donya Abramo and Magnus Cadelin 4 years ago

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No one was ready for William Nylander’s cornrows

On Friday, Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander went viral after posting a trip of himself on vacation. Normally sporting long, flowing hair, Nylander debuted cornrows while chowing down prosciutto.

It’s… definitely a look.

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By Ian Oland 4 years ago

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William Nylander switches his jersey number to 88 and offers to pay for fans’ jersey change

When William Nylander hits the ice with the Toronto Maple Leafs in October, it’ll be with a new, but familiar, number on his jersey to his Swedish fans. Nylander announced on Monday that he will be wearing number 88 next season.

But for the owners of #29 Nylander jerseys, don’t worry. Nylander also revealed that he will be footing the bill for fans to make the jersey number swap.

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By Elizabeth Kong 4 years ago

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William Nylander re-signs with Maple Leafs for $6.9 million a year

After months of negotiations, the William Nylander-Toronto Maple Leafs contract impasse is finally over.

Saturday afternoon, the Maple Leafs announced that Nylander, a restricted free agent, agreed to a six-year contract extension.

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By Ian Oland 5 years ago

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Report: Maple Leafs now taking offers for RFA William Nylander

William Nylander is one of the best young players in the game. He’s only 22-years-old and the forward has scored over 20 or more goals and had 61 points over the last two seasons.

Since July 1, Nylander has been stuck in a contract impasse with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lewis Gross and his father, former Capital Michael Nylander, are his agents.

The restricted free agent has until December 1 to sign a deal or will be ineligible to play in the NHL this season.

Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave an update on the situation.

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By Ian Oland 5 years ago

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Sportsnet wanted to do a natural interview with Nicklas Backstrom and William Nylander at dinner. Here are the 8 most lovingly awkward moments.

When Nicklas Backstrom first arrived in Washington, he was a shy 19-year-old who did not know English very well. Fellow Swede and former-Capital Michael Nylander mentored Backstrom to help him adjust to both American and NHL life. By inviting Backstrom over to his family house, Nylander unintentionally mentored his two young boys, William and Alex, at the same time.

“I was over there all the time,” Backstrom said to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston in April 2017. “I was playing ping pong with the kids and hanging out with their dad. I had dinners there. They took care of me, they were a big family, and I think they were cooking for the whole family so I don’t think they minded an extra guy.”

When Nylander retired from the NHL at the end of the 2009 season, the family lost touch with Nicklas Backstrom. Years later, Backstrom was reunited with them when Nylander’s son William made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Eleven years later, in a video recorded by Sportsnet while the Leafs were in Washington in October 2017, the two reminisced of their years growing up together. Here are our eight favorite moments.

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By Cara Bahniuk 6 years ago

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William Nylander lost a bet to Mike Babcock. He had to show up to practice in a Team Canada jersey.

When William Nylander turned up for Toronto’s practice on Wednesday, he wasn’t wearing his Maple Leafs sweater as expected. Instead, the son of former-Capital Michael Nylander was sporting a Team Canada jersey.

It was an unusual sight for fans and media in attendance, considering that Nylander is very Swedish and represents Sweden at international tournaments.

Kristen Shilton, the Maple Leafs reporter for TSN Sports, reported that Nylander lost a bet to Mike Babcock. The bet was wagered over the outcome of World Juniors. Canada bested Sweden in the final earlier in the year, 3-1, to win gold.

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By Donya Abramo 6 years ago

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