William Nylander's New Injury Adds to Tre Kronor's Olympic Woes

Sweden's national ice hockey team, Tre Kronor, faces another setback as William Nylander sustained a lower body injury during a recent NHL game, adding to an already growing list of injuries ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Nylander, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, twisted his ankle while celebrating his 17th goal of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights and was forced to leave the game, not returning for the remainder of the night.

This injury compounds the team's challenges, as defenseman Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild has been sidelined for several weeks due to a persistent lower body injury. Brodin's condition, which has kept him out for multiple games since December, is monitored weekly, and his participation in the Olympics remains uncertain. Alongside them, other key Swedish players—Gabriel Landeskog, Victor Hedman, Joel Eriksson Ek, Leo Carlsson, Erik Karlsson, and Philip Broberg—are also managing injuries.

The Olympic hockey competition begins on February 11 against Italy, making these injury concerns critical for Team Sweden's preparation. The distressing string of injuries has raised alarms about the squad's readiness, with Nylander's recent injury intensifying the uncertainty around Sweden's roster strength.

In addition to Nylander's injury, Oliver Ekman-Larsson briefly left the ice after a heavy hit during the same NHL game but returned after the intermission, reflecting the physical toll on Swedish players currently competing at high levels. With the Olympics approaching rapidly, Tre Kronor's management must weigh these fitness issues carefully in finalizing their team selection.