Alex Nylander is headed home to Calgary after reports revealed that the former Marlies forward is likely headed to the Flames on a PTO agreement.
According to Puckpedia, Nylander is expected to sign a PTO with the Flames in the coming days, with his profile on the website already reflecting the change to the Flames as opposed to being a free agent.
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Nylander, 27, had a very solid season both in the regular season and playoffs for the Toronto Marlies last season. In 65 games played, Nylander posted 53 points including 24 goals, meanwhile he added seven points in 24 playoff games en route to winning the Calder Cup with the Marlies.
It would also end the potential partnership between Alex and his older brother William, though if Alex does not end up signing an NHL contract with the Flames, could find his way back to the Marlies later on.
Toronto helped rebuild Nylander's career without ever finding him a permanent NHL role
The younger brother of William Nylander, Alex never really got a shot at the NHL level with the Maple Leafs, only appearing in five games during the 2024-25 season, where he recorded no points. Over his NHL career, Nylander has 49 points in 126 games (25 goals, 24 assists) and he's spent time with Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Toronto.
He signed with the team in the summer of 2025 and while he wasn't expected to be a focal point of the offence, the idea of him playing alongside his brother while bringing a scoring threat to the bottom-six was a good one on paper, it just never materialized on the ice.
With how Craig Berube structured his lineup during the 2025-26 season, it was hard to see where Nylander would have fit in.
Names like Calle Jarnkrok and Steven Lorentz were dominating the lineup's fourth-pairing minutes, which is where Nylander would have ended up. He would have been a key part of the team towards the end of the year - but he was helping the Marlies during their playoff push.
Calgary gets to test Toronto's work without paying anything to acquire Nylander
But now the Flames get the benefit of seeing what Nylander can offer still at an NHL level without having to pay assets to acquire him or commit to a contract.
If he is coming in on a PTO then that means Calgary will be able to see how he looks not only during camp, but with their preseason games. Nylander is the type of player who can benefit a team's offence, and has proven he can be at least a bottom-six scorer and with the Flames needing a bit of depth up front - it's a good business decision.
If Nylander can translate his AHL production into something more tangible at the NHL level, then Calgary gets themselves a solid offensive piece for basically peanuts.
There are really only a couple of outcomes though. If Nylander makes the Flames' NHL roster, then it looks a bit badly on Toronto for not giving him a chance despite having many opportunities to last season.
But if he doesn't make the Flames and they just wanted an idea of what he can bring (and perhaps offer another AHL deal) then it makes Toronto's decision to not re-sign him make a bit more sense.
Whichever way this turns out for Nylander though, it does bring an end to one of the more interesting storylines the Maple Leafs have found themselves in. They already caught lightning in a bottle once with William Nylander, but failed to find that same spark from his younger brother.
Do you think Toronto should have given Alex Nylander more NHL opportunities?
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