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The phone call was nothing more than a formality. Or, rather, it should have been.

When Team Sweden asked Tim Murray if he would loan prospect Alexander Nylander for the world junior hockey championship, the Buffalo Sabres general manager said yes — on one condition.

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“When they asked me for permission, I asked what his role would be,” Murray said. “I think I knew the answer, but you still want to hear it from their lips, obviously.”

Murray’s concern was likely unnecessary. Nylander led Sweden in scoring as a 17-year-old in last year’s tournament and headed into the this year’s tournament having scored 17 points in 25 games as a rookie in the American Hockey League.

As one of five AHLers on loan for the tournament — Sweden’s Oliver Kylington (Calgary Flames), Team USA’s Jack Roslovic (Winnipeg Jets), Russia’s Denis Guryanov (Dallas Stars), and Daniel Vladar (Boston Bruins) of the Czech Republic are the others — the expectation is that Nylander will build on last year’s performance and have an even bigger offensive role this time around.