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William Nylander left Toronto immediately after Game 5.
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William Nylander left Toronto immediately after Game 5.

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward did not stick around long after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Jonathan Larivee

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander didn't stick around long after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday night, seemingly immediately hopping on a plane out of town.

According to a report from Finnish journalist Miikka Lahtinen, Nylander arrived in Finland to participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Championship of Hockey in the very early hours of Saturday morning. This would indicate that the highly competitive Nylander almost immediately hopped on a plane after being knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 5 to go represent his country halfway across the world.

You have to admire the competitive drive of a player that just played out a full NHL season and wants to go out and represent his country, although it's especially understandable given the lack of international hockey competitions in the last several years.

Nylander will be surrounded by familiar faces as he embarks in the competition, with both former Maple Leafs teammate Rasmus Sandin and brother Alex Nylander also representing Sweden in this tournament.