The Maple Leafs brother act could be busted up before it really got started.
The club placed right winger Alex Nylander, younger brother of William, on waivers Wednesday after his five games with Toronto yielded no points and scant playing time. The former first-round pick of Buffalo in 2016 had signed an American Hockey League deal with the farm team Marlies, to train with William in summer and get a chance to play with him. It was a dream realized for both layers and their NHL father Michael last month when Alex produced eight goals and 12 points in 14 AHL games before signinf a minimum NHL deal with the Leafs.
But he was mostly relegated to bottom-six duty and second-unit power play. Bigger than William, he didn’t seem to be physically engaged as much as hoped and the lack of points didn’t reflect well.
Most recently with Columbus, Alex had played well and produced, but had not re-signed there. It remains to be seen if another team takes a chance on him.
Meanwhile, defenceman Dakota Mermis, who was completing a conditioning stint with the Marlies this week after breaking his jaw in training camp, was also placed on waivers Wednesday. The Leafs hope to activate defenceman Jake McCabe from injured reserve in the coming days after he took a puck in the head on Nov. 30 against the Lightning.
Max Domi returned for Tuesday’s game against New Jersey, and fellow forward Bobby McMann could be back in a week. Defenceman Jani Hakaanpaa continues to battle knee issues and underwent a recent procedure, head coach Craig Berube said.