Nylander inked a deal with the team for $775K, which is the league minimum.
At 26, Nylander was picked eighth in 2016 by the Sabres, two years after William went eighth to the Leafs. This summer, he joined the Maple Leafs’ AHL squad, Toronto Marlies, but remained an NHL free agent. Nylander started strong with eight goals and four assists in his first 14 games. He’s second in goals and tied for points with Alex Steeves on his team. It’s a comeback story for Nylander who hasn’t been a regular in the NHL since before COVID-19 hit when he played for the Blackhawks. After missing 2020-21 due to a knee injury, he played in AHL’s Rockford and scored 12 points in 23 games before being traded from Chicago to Pittsburgh.
Nylander’s Journey:
In Pittsburgh, Nylander had limited NHL appearances while mostly playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Things shifted when he was traded to Columbus along with a sixth-round pick for Emil Bemström last February. With Columbus, he thrived scoring 11 goals and totaling 15 points over 23 games while averaging almost 17 minutes per game—his best yet! Now he’s set for another shot at NHL time with Toronto as injuries have hit their roster hard.
Fans might think it’s exciting to see him back on ice.
Knies was recently sidelined after taking a big hit from Golden Knights’ Zach Whitecloud on Wednesday; he’s out for Sunday’s Utah game but could return mid-week against Florida Panthers. Injuries have also plagued Calle Järnkrok, Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty before last week began; Max Domi and David Kämpf were placed on IR pre-Vegas clash; Ryan Reaves got suspended five matches following an incident involving Oilers’ Darnell Nurse last weekend.
The team’s forward line is stretched thin now that Knies joins six others unavailable this weekend leading more AHL players like Steeves or prospects such as Nikita Grebenkin and Fraser Minten being called up recently.
What do you think about all these changes?
