32 NHL Teams Pass, Alex Nylander Signs AHL Deal

Apparently, 11 goals in 23 games, including a hat trick with the Columbus Blue Jackets after a late-season trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins, wasn’t enough to earn Alex Nylander an NHL shot or even a two-way contract.

Nylander, 26, signed a one-year minor league deal with the Toronto Marlies on Sunday. The terms of the deal were undisclosed, but despite several multi-goal games in his short Columbus stint, new Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell surprisingly did not tender the restricted free agent a qualifying offer, making Nylander an unrestricted free agent.

The Penguins traded Nylander to Columbus for Emil Bemstrom and a conditional sixth-round pick, which could have become a third-round pick if Bemstrom scored six goals. However, Bemstrom had just five points, including three goals, in 24 games with the Penguins.

READ MORE: Former Penguins Winger Alex Nylander Nets Hat Trick; On Fire in Columbus

Nylander was the eighth overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2016 but has never found his NHL stride, playing just 121 games in six years. Over two-plus seasons, Nylander played 14 games for the Penguins, scoring one goal and registering one assist. In 114 career NHL games split between Buffalo, the Chicago Blackhawks, Penguins, and Columbus, he has scored just 25 goals with 49 points.

Toronto is the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but in theory, any NHL team could sign Nylander. He would then need to clear waivers to join that NHL team.

Nylander was on a two-way deal with the Penguins and Blue Jackets, which carried a $775,000 salary cap hit.