There are about 6000 kilometres between Sweden and Canada, and this season, 67 different Swedes appeared in at least 1 NHL game.
It’s clear the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t the only team in the NHL to have welcomed Swedish players - but the impact that Swedes have had on this franchise in the last 40 years is undeniable.
There is a lifetime between where Borje Salming started his Maple Leafs career, and where William Nylander is starting his. Salming first made contact with the Leafs in a dressing room during a game in Sweden. Nylander first donned the Maple Leaf on a big stage in front of a national television audience as the 5th overall pick. In between them, there was a pretty good player named Mats, too.