On Friday, fans were surprised to hear that the Maple Leafs had signed Marlies forward Alex Nylander to an NHL contract out of the blue.
There had been no reporting that the two sides were even close on a deal, but with the injury issues getting out of control in Toronto, the Leafs needed bodies and Alex Nylander has prior NHL experience. The move just made sense.
On Saturday, the Leafs released a clip on social media, sharing some behind the scenes moments between William and Alex reacting to Friday's contract.
William also spoke about the deal on Saturday following practice, expressing that it feels like a dream come true to have his brother officially joining him with the Maple Leafs.
Nylander also revealed that he found out that Alex had officially signed with the Leafs before his brother even had an opportunity to call him and share the news himself.
Prior to signing his 1-year pact with the Leafs on Friday, Alex Nylander had been on an American Hockey League deal with the Toronto Marlies. He had previously confirmed that he chose this path over multiple NHL offers because he wanted to earn the opportunity to play with his brother in Toronto.
Their father, former NHLer Michael Nylander, was reportedly very emotional when he learned than both of his sons will suit up and play together for the same NHL team for the first time on Sunday.
POLL | ||
23 NOVEMBRE | 3156 ANSWERS The Nylander Brothers' Reaction to Finally Playing Together For the Leafs Was Truly Heartwarming How many games do you think it will be before William and Alex Nylander end up on a line together? | ||
First game | 1100 | 34.9 % |
2-10 games | 1326 | 42 % |
11-30 games | 197 | 6.2 % |
It won't happen | 533 | 16.9 % |
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