Alex Nylander Has Very Clear Goal Ahead of NHL Return
The long-awaited debut for the Nylander brothers is on tap later tonight with Alex Nylander motivated to show what he can do when given the chance at the NHL level.
With injuries mounting, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Alex Nylander to a one-year NHL contract in order to call him up ahead of Sunday's contest against the Utah Hockey Club.
There's a laundry list of absences for the Leafs at present time, with Auston Matthews, David Kampf, Max Domi, Max Pacioretty, Matthew Knies, and Ryan Reaves out for one reason or another.
They were forced to call up Alex Steeves, Nikita Grebenkin, and Fraser Minten in the interim, but have still produced a 6-1-0 record since November 5th.
With Alex Nylander, it's a different feeling, mostly because of the chance he gets to play with his brother. Signed as a free agent in the off-season to an AHL deal, it was always a wonder when he would get the NHL call and it seems like he's more than ready for it, according to the player himself, according to Nick Barden of The Hockey News.
"I'm just continuing off what I did last year and building that down in the AHL, and obviously going to bring that up here. I know what I can do at the NHL level," Alex said.
It hasn't been the start to his career that the soon-to-be 27-year-old expected to have after being drafted 8th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2016. He has just 121 games of NHL experience under his belt across 6 seasons with 4 different teams - Toronto will be his 5th.
However, the end of his 2023-24 season was electric as he finished with 11 goals and 15 points in 23 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 11 goals represented a career-high and the 15 points was 11 short of the 26 he set in 65 games with Chicago in 2019-20.
Nylander also mentioned how he wanted to earn his chance with the Maple Leafs by excelling in the minors - and he did exactly that with 8 goals and 12 points in 14 games.
"Now I've got to do what I can do on the ice and try to help the team win as good as possible."
Based on the lines at practice, it looks Alex Nylander he will start the game with rookies Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, but it remains to been seen if we get to see him skate alongside his brother, William, at some point during the match.
