Ex-NHL goaltender shares interesting take on the Alex Nylander deal in Toronto
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Alex Nylander contract in Toronto caught people by surprise this past week, and one former NHL goaltender turned analyst has shared his mixed feelings on the deal.
It hasn't been a seamless transition from the AHL to the NHL for Alex Nylander, younger brother of Maple Leafs superstar William Nylander. Not only has he not lived up to his pre-draft hype, but the former 8th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has barely managed to scratch the surface of what many thought he was capable of at the NHL level.
Nylander's 1-year deal with the Toronto Marlies may be looked at as a low-risk move with a high potential reward for the Maple Leafs, but Martin Biron simply isn't buying it, and during an appearance on TSN 1050's OverDrive on Tuesday, Biron stated very publicly that he doesn't exactly have "high hopes" for Alex Nylander.
"He didn't develop as well as you would hope to, putting [Alex] Nylander in the AHL, so maybe that was the wrong path for him, but you still can tell that he has some really good skills and he's got some speed.
He's bounced around and somehow teams always bring him in. They look at him and say 'hey, we've got the key. We've got the key with this guy'. Maybe being in Toronto and his brother, William Nylander, is there, maybe that helps. I don't have high hopes for Alex Nylander, but I think, why not? Give him an AHL deal and see if maybe you can [get] a little bit out of him."
He's bounced around and somehow teams always bring him in. They look at him and say 'hey, we've got the key. We've got the key with this guy'. Maybe being in Toronto and his brother, William Nylander, is there, maybe that helps. I don't have high hopes for Alex Nylander, but I think, why not? Give him an AHL deal and see if maybe you can [get] a little bit out of him."
A stretch of 23 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets at the tail end of the 2023-24 season is a big part of the reason why anyone is talking about Alex Nylander at all. The Swedish winger scored at a 36-goal pace with Columbus at the end of the year, tallying 11 goals and 15 points in 23 games to end his season with the Blue Jackets. Granted, he won't get the same opportunities in Toronto that he got in Columbus, including some time in the top-6, but it was impressive just the same, and it was surprising to see him not even receive an offer from the Blue Jackets.
Regardless of what Biron or anyone else says, the Alex Nylander deal is extremely low-risk for the Maple Leafs. He's not on an NHL deal and he can sign with the Leafs or any other NHL team of he does perform well in the AHL. However, there is clearly some potential there, and if the Leafs can tap into that and help him round out his game, perhaps they can reap the rewards of showing a little faith in him when nobody else would.
Source: TSN
OverDrive - July 30, 2024 - Hour 2
OverDrive - July 30, 2024 - Hour 2
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 31 | 1637 ANSWERS Ex-NHL goaltender shares interesting take on the Alex Nylander deal in Toronto Do you think Alex Nylander will eventually shed his AHL tag and sign an NHL deal with the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 1265 | 77.3 % |
| No | 372 | 22.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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