With National Hockey League training camps set to open in September, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves with many questions surrounding their forward corps, particularly when it comes to left wing.
With the departures of scrappy lefty Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed with Chicago, and Noah Gregor, who signed with the Ottawa Senators, along with the uncertainty around Nick Robertson, who has requested a trade, the Leafs are weighing their options at left wing.
One option the Leafs could consider is Alex Nylander, the brother of Leafs star William Nylander, who signed an American Hockey League contract with the Toronto Marlies in the offseason.
Nylander, 26, is a right shot winger who will also take reps on the left wing. Nylander scored a career-high 11 goals and 15 points in 23 NHL games last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The eighth overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 National Hockey League Entry Draft has a Corsi rating that is more than 50% for his career and has scored 49 points in 121 career games in the NHL.
The numbers are quantifiable. The unquantifiable would be the opportunity to play on a team such as the Leafs, where Nylander could line up beside the likes of Matthews, Marner, Tavares, or even his own flesh and blood, William Nylander. Perhaps on a team stacked with talent, with lower expectations and pressure, Nylander could thrive.
Or should the Leafs keep rising star Easton Cowan for the NHL entry level maximum 10 games before returning him to junior, Nylander could then slide into the Leafs roster, joining them with some AHL games already under his belt.
Besides the potential upside of Nylander, offensively at least, there is also the freedom his AHL deal brings the Leafs. As long as Nylander is on an AHL contract, assigning him to the Marlies means there are no waivers to clear and he can be sent to the Marlies and benefit from Maple Leafs player development.
The downside, of course, is that until he signs an NHL contract with the Leafs, he's also free to explore his options with every other NHL team.
One thing seems certain, and that's that should he start the season in the Leafs organization, it seem inevitable that he'll crack the Leafs lineup at some point. And given the questions around left wing, that's as good a place as any to start.
