"No more finesse players": NHL fans divided on Toronto Maple Leafs signing William Nylander's brother Alex as free agent

NHL fans on social media were of mixed opinions on the Toronto Maple Leafs signing William Nylander's younger brother Alex Nylander as a free agent.

Alex Nylander is currently on the lookout for a new team after becoming an unrestricted free agent when the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't qualify him last month. The Hockey News' Nick Barden reported that both Nylander brothers were training together to prep for the upcoming season.

With the team lacking goal-scoring depth, here's what fans on X/Twitter had to say on the possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs signing Alex for his goal-scoring depth.

One fan tweeted:

"No, no more finesse players."

Another fan said:

"Maybe a cheap deal. I’m biased for loving seeing all the Nylanders in the stands."

"I don't see where he would fit on this team. Seems like the same problem as Robertson in the sense he would be more useful in a top 6 role but isn't quite good enough to take that spot effectively on this team," one fan wrote.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"He’d be better off signing with a bad team and building his value by getting more ice time," one fan suggested.

"There’s a reason why no team wants him. And he’s played on some bad teams. Just because he’s Willy’s brother doesn’t mean the Leafs should sign him. They should have signed Sprong but they missed the boat on that one. Typical," another fan opined.

"Couldn’t hurt. We need scoring and if he brings cheap scoring depth it’s not a bad idea," one fan said.

Alex Nylander split last season in the AHL and NHL. He played 46 games in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, scoring 32 points through 17 goals and 15 assists.

Following his trade to Columbus, Nylander continued with his impressive performance in the regular season. He racked up a career-high 11 goals and four assists in 23 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs re-sign Connor Dewar

The Maple Leafs on Tuesday avoided arbitration and added to their forward depth after re-signing Connor Dewar to a one-year, $1.18 million contract.

Dewar was acquired by the Leafs from the Minnesota Wild at this year's March trade deadline. Dewar accumulated five points through one goal and four assists in 17 regular season games for Toronto, including one assist in six playoff games.

Overall, he notched up 19 points in 74 games. Dewar was drafted No. 92 overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2018 NHL draft.