CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Alex Nylander said that the trade that brought him to the Penguins' organization from the Blackhawks' organization was "huge" for him.
Nylander, a 24-year-old winger, was coming off of a lost season at the time of the trade. He had the most successful season of his pro career to date in 2019-20, spending the entire year in the NHL with the Blackhawks, scoring 10 goals and 16 assists in 65 games. As he was preparing for the 2020-21 season, his knee started to feel "off" around August. He had already been training on it for three months, unaware that there was anything wrong with it.