Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
If you were hoping for a clean bill of health for William Nylander in Milan, Oliver Ekman-Larsson just poured a bucket of ice water on those dreams.
The quotes coming out of the Olympic Village are supposed to be fluff.
Just guys being dudes, enjoying the pasta, and getting ready to chase gold.
But when Mark Masters asked Oliver Ekman-Larsson about his roommate’s status on Tuesday, the answer wasn’t “He’s ready to rock.”
It was the dreaded “I don’t want to get into it.”
That is hockey code. It’s a massive red flag waving right in our faces.
If your buddy is fine, you say he’s fine. You don’t dodge the question unless there is something to hide.
The silence speaks volumes about Leafs star William Nylander
You don’t “get into it” when a guy is perfectly healthy.
You say he’s buzzing. You say he’s flying out there.
Instead, we get a non-denial that feels heavy, especially with Nylander missing practice for Sweden after skating two days in a row.
OEL tried to pivot to a joke about snoring and Nylander “sleeping a lot.”
Sure, maybe he’s just jet-lagged.
But given Nylander has already sat out twice recently with that nagging groin issue, “sleeping a lot” sounds a hell of a lot like “recovery mode.”
The Leafs sent their best over the pond hoping they’d come back sharper.
Now, the fear is one of them comes back more broken than he was before he left.
If he can’t go for Tre Kronor, the panic in Toronto is going to hit strictly critical levels as the team will head into the final stretch after the break.
Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily
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Ekman-Larsson’s update on Nylander from Milan may be a terrifying one for Leafs Nation
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