The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of competition for a job on the wings, so Alex Nylander must wait for a true shot at joining his brother on the Leafs with an NHL contract.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue their 2024 pre-season, it’s becoming apparent how much competition there is for certain jobs.
Most of the Leafs' positions are filled by veterans under contract. But when it comes to the Buds’ depth on their wings, there’s not much etched in stone.
At least one player – first-year Toronto right winger Alex Nylander – must be patient before he gets a decent chance to show what he can do. It's partially because he's not even under an NHL contract.
Nylander, brother of right wing and center William Nylander, is under an AHL contract and thus still able to sign an NHL deal with any team. He did say, however, he told reporters he turned down other NHL offers to try to earn one in Toronto while living with his brother.
In the mix with him for a spot in the Leafs' forward depth include young and old forwards, such as Max Pacioretty, Bobby McMann, Nick Robertson, Ryan Reaves, Steven Lorentz, Nikita Grebenkin and Easton Cowan.
With so many people competing for so few positions, it will be challenging for Nylander to set himself apart. That means, short of a spectacular performance from Nylander in the pre-season, he'll begin the season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and hope for an opportunity from there.
That opportunity may come when a Leafs left or right winger is injured, and it may come if the Buds aren’t getting enough offense out of the aforementioned names. At that point, we could see someone like Reaves get waived.
That’s where Nylander will likely get signed to an NHL deal – minimum salary, one-year pact – and be given an extended look on the Leafs’ third or fourth line. He showed flashes of impressive play with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, recording 11 goals and 15 points in 23 games.
It’s a pipe dream to think he’ll be placed on one of Toronto’s top two lines – alongside his brother – so he will have to make the most of his time in the AHL and potentially limited minutes in the NHL to show he can stick with the Leafs.
It could also come to pass that Leafs management doesn’t see a fit for Nylander, and he chooses to move on by signing an NHL deal with a different team. But his choice to sign with the Marlies, take a momentary step back and capitalize on a potential NHL opportunity on the same team as William Nylander makes sense once you understand all pro players have an innate belief in themselves. They’ll always think they can handle what’s given to them.
Alex Nylander is like any other player in that regard. As they say, “good things come to those who wait,” and Nylander’s patience could pay off with a family dream come true about playing with his brother. If it happens at all, it probably won’t happen until we’re well into the regular season. Still, for the moment, Nylander can focus on growing his game and force Leafs brass to give him a bona fide chance to succeed at hockey’s highest level.
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