Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is in Milan, as part of the NHL and NHLPA's European media tour , which is being held in Italy for the first time. This event is a result of a strategic partnership formed earlier this year between the NHL, NHLPA, and top-flight Italian soccer league Serie A. The collaboration is seen as a way for both leagues to showcase themselves, particularly with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on the horizon. It's a big deal for the NHL, as it's the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympics that its players will be participating in the Games.
Before attending a soccer match, Nylander spoke with reporters, including Mike Zeisberger from NHL.com, about his former teammate Mitch Marner's recent trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. Marner's departure was a sign-and-trade deal that landed him an eight-year, $96 million contract. Nylander called Marner a "great teammate" and an "incredible person".
Following the press obligations, Nylander headed to the Serie A season opener, where AC Milan hosted Cremonese. It was there that Nylander and New Jersey Devils star Nico Hischier exchanged jerseys with AC Milan's Rafael Leão, who was out of the game with a calf injury.
An interesting detail of the exchange was that both the Milan and NHL jerseys had the NHL players' numbers on them, but neither had Leão's. This viral jersey swap with Leão and Hischier follows another high-profile exchange in March 2025 when New York Rangers star Mika Zibanejad met with Serie A legends Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi at Madison Square Garden. That meeting acted as a catalyst for the current partnership between the leagues.
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