The Toronto Maple Leafs disappointed immensely in 2025/26, but this off-season, the organization has undergone a major transformation, with the team looking to bounce back in arguably the toughest division in the National Hockey League.
In one summer, the team hired John Chayka as their new General Manager and added Jim Hiller as their Head Coach, and on the roster, the team have acquired the likes of Gavin McKenna, Sergei Bobrovsky and Jack Roslovic. There’s plenty of optimism at the NHL level, but now, it appears as though they’re set to suffer a major loss in the American Hockey League, with a veteran forward yet to depart in free agency.
Alex Nylander to Sign PTO With the Calgary Flames
GettyAlex Nylander with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Two years ago, the Maple Leafs signed Alex Nylander, the brother of superstar winger William, and while he was once a No. 8 overall pick in the NHL Draft, he never quite caught on at the NHL level as a consistent producer.
In Toronto, there was hope that he could rekindle his career in the bottom-six, but unfortunately, he managed to get into just five regular season games with the team over the past two seasons, failing to register a point in that time. Now, he’s set to depart the Maple Leafs in free agency, as it has been reported by PuckPedia that the 28-year-old forward will be signing a PTO ahead of training camp with the Canadian rival Flames.
24G 53P in 65 AHL GP
In a total of 126 games in the NHL, Nylander has posted 25 goals and 49 total points, and while he’ll get the chance to crack the NHL roster with the Flames, it appears as though Nylander may end up spending the majority of his career in the AHL.
Calgary Flames Could use Nylander in the AHL
While Nylander’s goal heading to Calgary will be to push for an NHL roster spot, over his career to date, he’s absolutely dominate down in the minor leagues, as he has combined for 89 goals and 179 points over his last 227 games in the AHL split between the Penguins, Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs organizations.
That’s definitely good production, but given that the Sabres used the No. 8 overall pick on him back in 2016 with hopes that he could become as good as his brother has been in the NHL, it’s safe to say that as of right now, Alex has largely been a disappointment at the highest level.
Now, at 28-years-old, he’s hoping to settle into a full-time role somewhere, and while that likely won’t be in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, in terms of teams out there that could give him an opportunity in the league, they may be the team that could give him the best chance to crack an NHL roster moving forward.
Former Maple Leafs Forward set to Sign With Canadian Rival