Sabres Sign Alexander Nylander To Entry-Level Deal
The Buffalo Sabres have signed their 2016 first round pick (eighth overall) Alexander Nylander to a three-year, entry-level deal. Cap Friendly has the deal at $925K AAV.
Nylander spent last season with the Mississauga Steelheads and led the team in goals, assists, and points (28-47-75). He notched 12 points (6-6) in the six playoff games.
General manager Tim Murray said in the team release that he expects Nylander to compete for a job in training camp. Nylander, who had a strong showing in the World Junior Championships, and IIHF Under 18 World Championship, joins a Buffalo organization oozing with young talent.
Should he break camp as a member of the Sabres, he would join the likes of Sam Reinhart, and Jack Eichel, both rising stars under 21. The Sabres also added Kyle Okposo through free agency.
Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Ceci, Bruins Prospects
As we head deeper into the summer and with many of the bigger name free agents off the board, teams now are focused primarily on locking up any unsigned RFAs they may have. Additionally, many clubs are kicking off their annual prospect development camps which gives us a look at the next wave of NHL talent and a sneak peek at a handful of youngsters who may have a chance to impact their parent club’s fortunes as soon as this season. Along those lines, here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division.
- Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News describes the show Sabres’ 2016 first-round pick Alexander Nylander is putting on at the club’s development camp. Nylander, the brother of Toronto Maple Leaf forward William Nylander, was chosen 8th overall in the 2016 entry draft out of Mississauga of the OHL. However, as Harrington notes, unlike most players selected out of the CHL, Nylander is eligible to join the Sabres AHL affiliate in Rochester as opposed to returning to his junior team should he not crack the Buffalo roster out of training camp. This is due to the fact he was not selected in the CHL import draft and was loaned by his Swedish club to Mississauga.
- Harrington’s colleague at The Buffalo News, Jack Goods, writes about Nylander’s World Junior’s linemate, Rasmus Asplund, who was Buffalo’s second-round choice in the 2016 entry draft. Asplund’s development was accelerated by playing against men in the SHL the last couple of years. Like Nylander, Buffalo will have the option of playing him down in Rochester but Asplund himself has said another year in Sweden may be best for his development.
- In a piece for the Ottawa Citizen, Ken Warren looks at the RFA case for D Cody Ceci and opines that recent deals suggest the 22-year-old blueliner is in line for a big payday; particularly if the Senators want him around long term. Teams have been paying big for quality defensemen, both on the UFA market and when retaining their own players, and Ceci certainly should land a sizable deal this summer.
- CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty lists a few of the prospects at development camp who are expected to challenge for regular roles for the Boston Bruins in 2016-2017. Specifically, with the team in need of blueline depth, Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk, will be given a chance to make the team out of training camp. Up front, Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, are mentioned as “dark horses,” in the push for a roster spot.
- Writing for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson lists the 10 worst contracts for the upcoming season. The Atlantic Division placed four players on the list, the largest representation of any of the NHL’s four divisions. F Matt Moulson of the Sabres ranks 10th on Richardson’s list, with G Jimmy Howard (6th) of Detroit and F Ryan Callahan (4th) of Tampa Bay also making the cut. While I think his inclusion on this list might be a tad unfair as he’s still a quality goaltender, the emergence of Petr Mrazek between the Motown pipes has turned Howard into an expensive back-up and the Wings could look to move him ahead of next year’s expansion draft. Topping the list is Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf, who has five years remaining on a deal that comes with an AAV of $7MM.
2016 NHL Draft Results
Pro Hockey Rumors will be following and updating every selection of the 2016 NHL Draft. Below are the results of the first round.
Round 1
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: C Auston Matthews (Zurich Lions – SUI)
2. Winnipeg Jets: RW Patrik Laine (Tappara – SM-liiga)
3. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton – QMJHL)
4. Edmonton Oilers: RW Jesse Puljujarvi (Karpat – SM-liiga)
5. Vancouver Canucks: D Olli Juolevi (London – OHL)
6. Calgary Flames: LW Matthew Tkachuk (London – OHL)
7. Arizona Coyotes: C Clayton Keller (USA NTDP – USHL)
8. Buffalo Sabres: F Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads – OHL)
9. Montreal Canadiens: D Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor – OHL)
10. Colorado Avalanche: C Tyson Jost (Penticton – BCHL)
11. Ottawa Senators (from New Jersey): C Logan Brown (Windsor – OHL)
12. New Jersey Devils (from Ottawa): C Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads – OHL)
13. Carolina Hurricanes: D Jake Bean (Calgary – WHL)
14. Boston Bruins: D Charlie McAvoy (Boston University – NCAA)
15. Minnesota Wild: C Luke Kunin (Wisconsin – NCAA)
16. Arizona Coyotes (From Detroit): D Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia – OHL)
17. Nashville Predators: D Dante Fabbro (Penticton – BCHL)
18. Winnipeg Jets (From Philadelphia): D Logan Stanley (Windsor – OHL)
19. New York Islanders: LW Kieffer Bellows (US NTDP)
20. Detroit Red Wings (from Arizona via New York Rangers): D Dennis Cholowski (Chilliwack (BCHL)
21. Carolina Hurricanes (from LA Kings): RW Julien Gauthier (Val-d’Or Foreurs – QMJHL
22. Philadelphia Flyers (From Winnipeg via Chicago): C German Rubtsov (Team Russia U-18)
23. Florida Panthers: C Henrik Borgstrom (HIFK – SM-liiga Jr)
24. Anaheim Ducks: LW Max Jones (London – OHL)
25. Dallas Stars: LW Riley Tufte (Blaine – USHSW)
26. St. Louis Blues (From Washington): C Tage Thompson (Connecticut – NCAA)
27. Tampa Bay Lightning: C Brett Howden (Moose Jaw – WHL)
28. Washington Capitals (From St. Louis): D Lucas Johansen (Kelowna – WHL)
29. Boston Bruins (from San Jose): C Trent Frederic (USA U-18 NTDP)
30. Anaheim Ducks (from Pittsburgh via Toronto): C Sam Steel (Regina – WHL)
Top Draft Prospects: Alexander Nylander
The NHL draft is almost upon us with the first round set to get underway at 6pm tonight. Our look at the top prospects continues with Mississauga winger Alex Nylander.
Bio
Position: Right Wing/Left Wing
Birthdate: March 2, 1998
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
Height: 6’0.5”
Weight: 178 lbs
2015-16
Nylander, the brother of Toronto prospect William Nylander, made his North American debut last season with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. He spent a big chunk of the year as part of an all-draft eligible trio alongside Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian. He led the Steelheads in all offensive categories and then found another gear to his game in a first round exit to the Barrie Colts, scoring six goals and six assists in just six games.
He also suited up in the World Juniors and World Under 18’s for Sweden (while he was born in Canada, he plays internationally for the Swedes where his father is from). He led the team in scoring in both tournaments.
Nylander picked up several awards with Mississauga. Not only was he the OHL’s Rookie of the Year, he was also named the CHL’s Top Rookie (the CHL is comprised of the three major junior leagues, the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL). He was also named to the OHL’s All-Rookie Team and third All-Star Team.
Statistics
OHL: 57 GP, 28 goals, 47 assists, 75 points, 18 PIMS, +8 rating
WJC’s: 7 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points, 0 PIMS, +5 rating
U-18’s: 7 GP, 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points, 0 PIMS, +5 rating
Scouting Report
Nylander is one of the more pure skilled players in this draft class, at least at the offensive end. He is a high end playmaker and is extremely dangerous when the puck is on his stick. On top of that, his shot is a significant weapon, making him a true dual threat in the attacking end.
Nylander’s skating is a strong asset, one that makes him that much more dangerous in the offensive zone. He also uses that to his advantage when back checking in transition in terms of knocking the puck away from opponents.
In his own zone is where Nylander struggles. He’s not the most willing to go battle for the puck and when he does, his lack of strength can be an issue at times. He showed improvement throughout the year but in terms of making the right reads defensively but considerable work still needs to be done in that regard.
Projected Future Role
Top line winger.
NHL Timeline
Offensively, he’s close to being NHL ready. However, he still needs to build some strength while his defensive play isn’t good enough for the pros. He’s at least two years away and could be three or four depending on how quickly or slowly he improves in his own end.
Previous Profiles
Auston Matthews
Patrik Laine
Jesse Puljujarvi
Matthew Tkachuk
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Mikhail Sergachev
Olli Juolevi