Maple Leafs Officially Announce NHL Deal for Alex Nylander

Injured after taking a questionable, high hit, Matthew Knies did not participate in practice Friday. However, Leafs head coach Craig Berube noted after practice that the 22-year-old was trending in the right direction but would not play Sunday.

With the Leafs carrying a 23-man roster already, and only having 11 forwards thanks to a number of injuries and the five-game suspension to Ryan Reaves, they had to place Knies on injured reserve, retroactive to November 20th.

That means Knies not eligible to return until November 27th at the earliest.

In placing Knies on injured reserve, the Leafs were able to sign Alex Nylander to a one-year deal worth $775K. Nylander signed an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies in the summer in the hopes of finally being able to play in the NHL with his brother.

That dream appears set to happen on Sunday as Nylander not only signed a contract with the Leafs, but was recalled from the Marlies in the process. The 26-year-old Nylander has been off to a torrid pace with the Marlies to begin the season, scoring 8 times and totalling 12 points in just 14 games.

The former first-round pick has bounced around throughout his career since being drafted in 2016, spending most of his time in the AHL where he has tallied 222 points in 344 regular season games. In 121 career NHL games between the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, Nylander has registered 25 goals and 49 points.