Alex Nylander Makes Maple Leafs Regret Sending Him Down with Statement Game

Alex Nylander's stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs was one to forget as he went without a point in 5 contests, held a minus-1 rating, and averaged only 9:53 TOI.

Nylander was placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment earlier in the week and once he cleared, he was returned to the Toronto Marlies.

In a top-6 role in the AHL, Nylander had excelled this season, as he accumulated 8 goals and 12 points in 14 games before his call-up to the parent club.

It should come as a pleasant surprise that, upon his return to the minors, Nylander sparked a massive comeback victory with a hat-trick and the game-winning goal in overtime against the Bakersfield Condors on Saturday.

The Marlies trailed 3-0 at the end of the first period and were down 5-1 in the early goings of the second before coming on strong in the latter half of the contest.

Nylander's first goal cut the deficit to 5-2 before tying the game at 5-5 with just 59 seconds left. He completed the hat-trick in overtime and now sits with 11 goals on the season.

He also added an assist on Nikita Grebenkin's opening goal in the second period and Joseph Blandisi's tally in the third period, which cut the deficit to 1 for a grand total of 5 points.

It was a truly remarkable showing from the team as a whole but even more so for Nylander, who probably felt like he had a lot to prove.

The former first round selection has found it very difficult to traverse the tough terrains of professional hockey with just 126 games of NHL experience under his belt since 2016--17.

Perhaps more performances like the one we witnessed on Saturday will not only boost his confidence, but bring him closer to another shot with the NHL club - and more than 9 minutes of ice-time. However, that path would require more injuries on the NHL-front in Toronto.

The Marlies now sit in 4th place in the North Division with a 13-3-2-3 record, but have 4 or 5 games in hand over Cleveland, Rochester, and Laval in a very deep and stacked division.

For his efforts, Nylander is now 2nd on the club in goals (11) and points (17), trailing only Alex Steeves, who has had a fantastic start to his 2024-25 with 14 goals and 22 points in 14 games.