The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forward Alex Nylander from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Henri Jokiharju. Despite public outcry, this is actually a sensible, decent trade for Chicago.
The Buffalo Sabres selected Nylander eighth overall in 2016. However, he has spent the three seasons since in the AHL, unable to permanently break the Sabres’ roster. The expectation for Nylander have always been high, given his NHL lineage. His father is once-Blackhawk Michael Nylander and his older brother is one of Toronto’s star wingers, William Nylander. Walking in their footprints has proven difficult.
Alex Nylander is certainly a gamble, but this storyline sounds vaguely familiar.
It’s easy to forget that less than a year ago Dylan Strome was considered a bust. He’d spent two years in juniors and a year in the AHL. One last ditch attempt with the Coyotes resulted in an early-season trade to Chicago that would completely turn around his career. Strome finished with a grand total of 57 points in Hawks red, reasserting himself as the same third overall he was once expected to be.
There’s no way to prove that Nylander will have the same arc. It’s a risk, sure, but the change of scenery and access to the Blackhawks organization’s development team and resources could potentially shape him up to match his name.
Regardless of Nylander’s potential, moving Henri Jokiharju was inevitable. With the acquisitions of veteran defensemen in Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan, there were simply too many defensemen on the starting roster. Jokiharju’s assignment for the season has been the burning question all summer. Even further, the pipeline of defensive prospects will start to spill into the NHL-ready category come next season. With a surplus of defenders now and a future with the likes of Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell on the way, Jokiharju was easily expendable. Someone had to go and logically, it was him.
It’s tough to give up promising, young talent. But the Blackhawks had too much of what Jokiharju had to offer and not enough of what Alex Nylander can potentially offer. Nothing is guaranteed, but if Nylander does pan out, he will provide the much-needed offensive depth that Stan Bowman had promised to flesh out.
Likely to start out on the third line, Nylander will have the opportunity to learn from the best and work his way up. He is a very skillful player, inheriting similar scoring and playmaking abilities from his father and brother. If he is able to gain the right footing and stay consistent, his presence can turn the third line into another goal-generating powerhouse.
This simply was not the case nor an attainable goal with the roster last season. The Blackhawks were extremely top-heavy. Although scoring was powerful when it happened, it was too unbalanced and too unstable. Hopefully, the addition of Nylander’s hands and hockey IQ on the third line will make a difference in the forward depth.
Back to the trade, Jokiharju for Nylander is not that far unmatched in value. Jokiharkju has been teetering in the grey area between NHL-ready and AHL-buried. Alex Nylander has been in much of the same, just nearly ready to break into the NHL but not quite there yet. Both are full of promise, both are young. And at the end of the day, both are exactly what their new team had been missing. It’s a logical trade given the context and circumstances.
Really, Blackhawks fans should give Alex Nylander the benefit of the doubt. Already donning a Hawks sweater (quite possibly one of his father’s, given they share the same number) and excited to join the team, Alex Nylander could become a great fit for the Blackhawks.
