Alex Nylander said the development options that the #Leafs organization has was one of the reasons why he signed an AHL deal with the #Marlies. He added that he did receive NHL offers. Amid the hype, though, Alex remains focused on the now, instead of looking ahead to what could happen in the future with the Maple Leafs.

At the start of the Maple Leafs' training camp, Nylander, 26 years old and brother of fellow Leafs forward William, explained his reasoning pointing to Toronto’s strong development system and the influence of his brother, William Nylander.

A 1-2-3 of Matthews, Nylander and Tavares down the middle also brings with it the potential for greater offensive depth. The Leafs have been reliant, overly so at times, on two lines to generate offence over the years, another point of detriment in past postseasons.

Before any premature talk of William and Alex Nylander playing together, best to first figure where Willy fits positionally. True to new coach Craig Berube’s summer blueprint, Nylander lined up at centre on Thursday’s first day of camp workouts,

Leafs head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving absolutely want William Nylander playing centre.