Maple Leafs get in on the brother act, sign Alex Nylander to NHL pact

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Move over, William Nylander.

Your little brother has arrived with the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs on Friday afternoon announced the signing of forward Alexander Nylander to a one-year contract that carries an average annual value of $775,000 US.

Nylander was recalled from the Toronto Marlies, and in a corresponding move, the Leafs placed forward Matthew Knies (upper-body) on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 20.

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In July, the Marlies signed Alex Nylander to a one-year American Hockey League contract. Not long after, he told the Sun’s Lance Hornby that it would be “a dream come true” to possibly get a chance to play with his older brother (by just under two years) with the Leafs.

“I can’t wait for that chance to come,” Alex told Hornby in August. “But I know I have to prove myself first.”

A veteran of 121 National Hockey League games with Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Columbus — in which he had 25 goals and 24 assists — he did just that with the Marlies.

In 14 games, the 26-year-old Nylander scored eight goals and recorded four assists for the Leafs’ farm team.

How Nylander lines up at practice on Saturday at the Ford Performance Centre, and then ostensibly used against the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday, remains to be seen.

Many in Leafs Nation would love to see him get a shot on a line with his brother, but there’s another rather viable option for coach Craig Berube.

In recent games with the Marlies, Nylander was on a line with Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin. The latter two already are with the Leafs, given the club’s long list injuries at forward, and were sharp in the win against Vegas on Wednesday.

Either way, the younger Nylander will be eager to make an impact immediately.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun