Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is going to be one of Team Sweden’s most leaned-on players at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Every time he has the opportunity to represent his country in international competitions, Nylander seems to elevate his game and put the team on his back. It should come as no surprise that he is projected to begin this tournament on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Rickard Rakell where the trio will be one of their most depended-on lines for offence. There is also a good chance that Nylander gets shuffled around because Sweden wants to give him free rein to shoot the lights out, with their head coach Sam Hallam going as far as to say that he is the biggest spark on the roster going into the 4 Nations.

With how much talent is projected to appear in Tre Kronor’s lineup – including the likes of Elias Pettersson, Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, and Filip Forsberg among others – that is quite high praise bestowed upon Nylander and is a testament to his talent. It is a reflection of how far he has evolved as a player over the years, going from a player who drove portions of Leafs fans crazy to one of the most consistent performers in the playoffs. And while this won’t be his first time wearing the Blue and Yellow as an NHLer, this will be his first time doing so with the best the league has to offer skating alongside him.

Judging by his track record, there is no reason to suggest that Nylander won’t elevate his game and be one of the standout performers at the tournament.

Nylander is the Leafs’ lone representative on Sweden’s roster but he is no doubt going to play a major role in their success as mentioned earlier. He always enjoys the opportunity to play for his country and photos of him during the team’s initial practice in Montreal show a guy excited about the opportunity that he hasn’t gotten to do since the 2022 World Hockey Championship. Nylander has expressed his enthusiasm for the tournament and the chance to pair up with Zibanejad, which should make for quite an interesting line with Rakell rounding things up. Some fans may have some concerns with how much Nylander will get used given Hallam’s comments on viewing the Leafs forward as one with the most impact, but this is a guy who always steps up his game when the stakes are high.

Nylander will be among the leading scorers of the tournament, with Leafs teammate and Team USA captain Auston Matthews in close proximity scoring-wise. Sweden may not be viewed as the favourites of the 4 Nations at the offset but they have the talent to put up a good fight and it would not be surprising if they are the ones that emerge victorious. If that ends up being the case, it will be because of Nylander leading the way offensively.