Nylander's status unclear for Sweden Olympic opener

MILAN -- William Nylander did not practice with Team Sweden on Tuesday, and the forward's status for its opener of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is unclear.

Sweden, which is looking to win Olympic gold in men's hockey for the first time since 2006, will host Team Italy on Wednesday at Santagiulia Arena (3 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, SN, TSN, CBC).

"It's a maintenance thing," coach Sam Hallam said. "He's done two full ice practices with us and felt after yesterday a bit sore, so just give him an extra day. And then we'll see for tomorrow if he's ready to go. It's going to be a pretty late decision."

Sweden is scheduled to have a morning skate at noon local time (6 a.m. ET) on Wednesday.

Nylander has 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) in 40 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. The 29-year-old missed seven games because of a lower-body injury sustained Jan. 15 but played in Toronto's three most recent games before the Olympic break.

"I'm not overly concerned at all. He's been looking really sharp and good on the ice for two days," Hallam said. "Felt that we give him (off) today. I mean, it's short-term, but we're still in the beginning of it and bigger games coming up, so let's keep our priorities and focus there."

After the Group B opener against Italy, a team with no NHL players on its roster, Sweden will play rival Team Finland on Friday and Team Slovakia the next day.

The tournament features all 12 teams playing three preliminary games in their respective groups, then all 12 moving on to a single-elimination playoff that will conclude with the gold medal game Feb. 22.

One of the most dynamic players for Sweden and in the NHL, Nylander has 664 points (280 goals, 384 assists) in 725 games, second-most among Sweden players since he entered the League in the 2015-16 season, behind Olympic teammate Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers (692 points).

Nylander, who was born in Calgary but represents Sweden, has played for the country nine times, including winning a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championship and a bronze in 2025, two of the four times he's played in the tournament (2019, 2022). He played in the IIHF World Under-18 Championship twice (2013, 2014), the IIHF World Junior Championship twice (2015, 2016), and also played in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Nylander was one of the six players named to the preliminary roster for the Olympics last June.

"I remember the first time I put on a Swedish jersey when we were at the under-16 national team tournament, it was a very special, proud moment, and you carry that feeling with you every time you get to put on that jersey," Nylander said Monday. "So, that dream of playing since you were very young, so now it's a dream come true and now we're here and we have all our goals to achieve."

If Nylander is held out of the opener, Pontus Holmberg (Tampa Bay Lightning) or Marcus Johansson (Minnesota Wild) would enter the lineup.