After requesting a trade and putting his hockey career on hold to return to his native Sweden, former New York Rangers first-round pick Lias Andersson is beginning to speak out about his surprising decision.

The 21-year-old forward appeared on Sweden’s national broadcast company, SVT, while attending Tuesday’s Champions Hockey League semifinal between Frölunda and Luleå.

Andersson conducted a more extensive interview with a local newspaper, the Gothenburg Post, and hockey reporter Johan Rylander.

“People can say it's an idiotic decision for my hockey career,” he told Rylander, who translated the interview to English. “But they don't know the whole truth.”

In the interview with GP, Andersson indicated, “There have been many incidents that have disturbed me.”

Rylander asked Andersson directly if he had been bullied, to which Andersson responded, “I don't know what to say or what to answer. It's been tough; that's it. I will tell you when it's the right time.”

“I’ve known him since he was a kid, but never seen him so down and taken by the moment,” Rylander told the USA TODAY Network. “He was hesitating a long time when the bullying question was asked.”

Andersson also said he was playing through a lower-body injury, although it’s unclear if he sustained it with the Rangers or after he was sent to AHL Hartford on Nov. 17.

Rylander reported that the injury is to “both of his feet."

“He can’t fit them into a pair of skates,” Rylander said. “He’s going to pay a specialist a visit and get an X-ray to rule out that there is a bone broken. The left foot is the worst.”

Andersson noted that, “It has been difficult to play when you have not been able to perform to the maximum because you were in pain,” but added the injury was “only a small part of it all.”

“When you don't know the whole truth, it can look like a fool's decision,” Andersson added. “But I'm not a spoiled (expletive) kid who complains about not being allowed to play hockey for the New York Rangers. That's not the thing. There are other factors.”

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How it got here

After going without a first-round pick for four years, the Rangers selected Andersson seventh overall in 2017. It signaled the beginning of a new era as the Blueshirts stockpiled assets and entered a rebuilding phase.

Andersson quickly signed his entry-level contract, raising expectations that he would make an NHL impact in short order. He played seven NHL games in 2017-18 but struggled with just six points in 42 games during the 2018-19 season.

It looked like 2019-20 could be his breakout campaign after he made the NHL roster out of training camp, with general manager Jeff Gorton saying at the time, “Lias really helped himself in the last few (preseason) games to put himself over the top.”

But in 17 games with the Rangers this season, Andersson never gained any traction. He managed only one assist with a minus-eight rating while averaging just 9:33 of ice time per game. He was never given an opportunity to play above the fourth line.

“I know I'm a good enough hockey player to play over there,” Andersson told Rylander. “I think I proved that during the preseason. I thought I had clinched a spot (behind top-line center) Mika Zibanejad.”

After Andersson was demoted to Hartford, Rangers coach David Quinn responded to criticism about him being stuck on the fourth line by saying, “Everybody talks about that, but there are things in this game that you need to do, regardless of who your linemates are.”

Andersson then played 13 games in the AHL, accumulating five points (four goals and one assist) with a minus-nine rating before requesting a trade on Dec. 21.

Quinn declined to comment on Andersson’s interviews with Swedish media prior to Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, but shortly after Andersson was suspended for leaving the team without permission, the coach hinted at the weight of expectations taking a toll.

“The game's changed so much in the last 10 years because of social media,” Quinn said Dec. 23. “Not only do you feel pressure when you get drafted internally — from yourself as a competitor and your organization — but all of a sudden, you start reading blogs and the internet and things of that nature. We're all human beings. You’re affected by what you read and it's difficult right now to be a young player in this league.”

Whether that’s what led to Andersson’s most recent comments — “It has become too difficult mentally,” he said — or if there’s more to his claim of “incidents” remains unclear.

“It may not be the smartest decision if I want to play in the NHL,” Andersson said. “But there is hockey in several places. Many people think it's a hockey decision I've made, but it's for my health that I've made this decision.”

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