Toronto Maple Leafs Shockingly Place Two Players on Waivers, per Elliotte Friedman
In a bit of a shocking move on Wednesday as the Toronto Maple Leafs placed Alexander Nylander and Dakota Mermis on waivers.
There was a lot of hope and speculation when the Maple Leafs signed Alex Nylander, as the brother of superstar William was expected to bring a lot of offense to a struggling bottom half of the team.
But with players coming back from injuries, and no goals since being called up, it looks like the end of the road for Nylander with the Maple Leafs as they have placed the Swedish forward on waivers.
Per Elliotte Friedman on X, Nylander was placed on waivers alongside Dakota Mermis for the Maple Leafs.
Alex Nylander Cooled Off; Dakota Mermis Still Healing
It was a bit of a shocker given how much hype there was surrounding Nylander, but as of now it looks like he may need to wait a bit before he gets another chance at an NHL roster.
Originally signed in the summer to the Toronto Marlies, Nylander was hyped up as a possible impact player once he gets on the ice with his brother.
He didn't live up to expectations though, and couldn't translate a hot Marlies run into anything for the Leafs.
In five games played, he didn't register a point and only had four total shots on goal, a paltry number for a goal-scorer like Nylander.
It must have been frustrating for him as well, given that he had 11 goals in 23 games last season but couldn't do much when brought up.
Mermis, who was also signed in the summer was coming off a very serious jaw surgery and had only recently taken the ice to get comfortable and start his return.
The 30-year old defenseman has only played in 74 NHL games but does have 12 points and showed potential as a dependable offensive defenseman either on the third pairing or in a depth role.
If no team claims either of these players, Toronto then needs to decide to send them down or perhaps cut ties especially with the number of bodies coming back in due time.
The hockey world will know the fate of both men shortly, as teams have until 2pm the following day in order to make a claim.
