When hockey players aren't spending time on vacation or in the gym during the summer, they are almost certain to find themselves on the golf course. William Nylander and a pair of former Leafs recently hit the links, and it looks like William’s brother Alex took to his Instagram account to celebrate draining an albatross. For those golf-illiterate, an albatross is when you score three shots under par on a single hole.
Following the shot, Alex Nylander posed with William and Washington Capitals defenseman and former Leaf Rasmus Sandin. It’s not the first time the Nylander brothers have found success on the links this offseason. Both won the inaugural NHLPA Golf Tournament, held during the RBC Canadian Open weekend on May 29.
While Alex is making headlines on the golf course, his professional hockey career remains at a crossroads as the upcoming season approaches. Alex recorded no points in five games with the Maple Leafs. However, he did score 23 goals and added 21 assists in 64 games with the Marlies. His 44 points were second on the team behind Alex Steeves, who recently signed a deal with the Boston Bruins.
Why The Maple Leafs Signed Alex Nylander To A One-Year NHL DealNylander, previously on an AHL contract with Toronto, was signed as the team navigates a shortage of forwards.
It was this month last year that the Toronto Marlies signed Alex to an AHL contract, which was later converted to an NHL deal as the Leafs dealt with injuries. However, with the Leafs loading up on depth forwards this season like Nicolas Roy, Mattias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, it’s hard to see where a player like Alex would fit in Toronto’s plans.
He has nothing left to prove in the AHL, and as a first-round pick (8th overall) from the 2016 NHL Draft, he would probably be best served with a professional tryout with another club if he has ambitions of returning to the NHL next season
(Top image credit: Alex Nylander on Instagram)
Ranking Every NHL Arena Media Meal (Part 2): Venues 17 to 24 RevealedWelcome back to the second part of our summer-long series ranking NHL media meals. With the schedule revealed this week, I've started booking road trips for the upcoming season, which is also making me hungry and excited for the media meals next season. This week, we count down the No. 17 through 24 media meals in the NHL.
Ryan Reaves Thanks Maple Leafs In Social Media Post After Being Traded To SharksRyan Reaves is grateful for his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
'Just Putting Rims On A Prius': Which NHL Teams Took Shots At The Maple Leafs In Their Schedule Reveal Videos?For the first time, the NHL had a coordinated schedule release where clubs had a chance to flex their creativity. Of course, this also gave some clubs (not all) a chance to poke fun at the Maple Leafs. Some took the high road, and others did not. Either way, I sat through the other 31 NHL clubs’ videos (if they made one, some of them did not participate) to show you what might make for some bulletin board material.