The Toronto Maple Leafs made some impressive additions this offseason that have improved their defensive depth, as well as their organizational depth. With Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson joining the team on the back end, the Maple Leafs didn’t stop there as they added a new goaltender in Anthony Stolarz and made sure to bring back Nicholas Robertson who will have an increased opportunity to prove himself as a worthy middle-six winger at the NHL level. One player who was a bit of a surprise addition was William Nylander’s brother, forward Alex Nylander, who signed an American Hockey League (AHL) deal to play with the Toronto Marlies for the 2024-25 season.
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The reason I call it surprising is that he claims to have had NHL contracts available after a strong finish to his 2023-24 campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and still chose to join the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate. While it’s only a one-year deal and it likely keeps him in the AHL for the entirety of the new season, Nylander has a chance to earn a two-way deal with the Maple Leafs during the season in the event of any injuries, or if he plays well enough with the Marlies to justify calling him up and using him as a depth forward.
Alex Nylander says he had NHL offers elsewhere but decided to take an AHL deal in Toronto instead. Wants to earn an NHL deal here. And yes, he’s living with his brother.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) September 19, 2024
Nylander has carved out a solid career for himself at the AHL level, playing 330 games, scoring 94 goals, and adding 116 assists for 210 points which comes out to a 0.64 points-per-game average. He has played a total of 121 games at the NHL level, scoring 25 goals and adding 24 assists for 49 points which comes out to a 0.40 points-per-game average.
Nylander has been bouncing around different NHL teams for several seasons and hasn’t found himself a full-time home since being drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. However, he showed signs of being a strong bottom-six forward when he was traded to the Blue Jackets in February of 2024, where he scored 11 goals and added four assists for 15 points through 23 games. That impressive finish was after starting the season in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he scored 32 points through 43 games.
Nylander Has Great Opportunity with Maple Leafs Organization
The Maple Leafs have some forward depth issues on the left side heading into the new campaign, so Nylander joining them on an AHL deal opens up a world of possibilities for him. If he performs well enough with the Marlies and helps lead them to some success early in the season, there is a good chance he will get called up and sign a two-way deal to finish off the 2024-25 season. His two-way game is solid, his offensive game has been good during his short stints in the NHL, and he seems to have a good attitude on and off the ice.
Taking less money at a lower level is a huge commitment from Nylander considering the options that were available to him. While it likely won’t be revealed which teams made him an NHL offer, the Maple Leafs will gladly take him on as a potential project. At 26 years old, Nylander still has some time left to become a full-time NHL player instead of jumping between the NHL and AHL. Hopefully, he can find himself a full-time home and continue elevating his game so he can finally prove he was worth all the hype back when he was drafted.
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