Penguins sign former first-round pick Alex Nylander

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed minor league forward Alexander Nylander to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K and keep him from reaching restricted free agency. CapFriendly reports that the deal will pay $300K in the AHL.

No longer a top prospect, the 24-year-old Nylander hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2019-20 season and is now on his third team since being the eighth-overall pick in 2016. Acquired for Sam Lafferty in early 2022, he did somewhat find his stride after joining the Penguins organization, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 44 AHL games.

Talented but inconsistent, the young forward has just 84 regular-season games at the NHL level since debuting five years ago. Signing him to a deal like this poses no risk for the Penguins, but time is running out on Nylander if he’s ever going to become an impact player at the NHL level. One thing in his favor is the fact that he now must clear waivers in order to be sent to the minor leagues, meaning even if he can’t latch on in Pittsburgh, he’ll have a chance to go somewhere else and test his mettle at the NHL level – if someone wants to take that chance, at least.