Maple Leafs Scratch Alex Nylander: Craig Berube Explains Lineup Change Vs. the Predators
Alex Nylander was scratched ahead of Wednesday's game against Nashville and head coach Craig Berube gave his reason as to why.
When Alex Nylander was called up due to the Leafs injuries, the team was hoping he could be an offensive spark for their bottom six.
He hasn't scored yet, and found himself scratched ahead of the Predators game in favor of Ryan Reaves who is returning from his five-game suspension.
Craig Berube's Not Sold Yet On Alex Nylander
Berube is normally a stoic individual, who uses few words in order to get his point across.
He can also come across as a bit lackadaisical in his responses, often using words like "Okay" and "Fine" to describe players performance without going into details.
He mentioned the same thing about Nylander and it doesn't look like he's completely sold on the younger brother of William.
There was a lot of potential for Nylander, and his stats this season for the Marlies were at least some cause for excitement.
He had eight goals and four assists in 14 games for the Marlies and was a big part of their early season success.
He's not just an AHL standout though, as Nylander has 25 goals and 24 assists in 125 career NHL games with time spent between Pittsburgh, Columbus, Buffalo, Chicago, and Toronto. His best season came in 2019-20 where he scored 26 points, but had 11 goals in only 23 games for Columbus last season.
Even though he didn't score for Toronto it's still a great story that he was able to play with his brother William, as the two have a very close bond and it made for a heartwarming addition to a very good season so far for the Leafs (minus all the injuries).
If he doesn't end up playing a bunch more for the Maple Leafs, he will more than likely head back to the AHL although he would need to clear waivers first, given he signed an NHL deal in order to be called up to the team.
The Marlies could use him too, as the team has gone 1-1-1 since his call up and sits seventh in the entirety of the AHL with a 10-2-5 record.
Nylander will get his next chance to earn a spot in the lineup on Friday as Toronto heads back to Scotiabank Arena to face the Washington Capitals.
