Former Penguin Alex Nylander, thriving with Columbus, reflects on time in Pittsburgh

Jake Guentzel’s return to Pittsburgh on Tuesday did not mark the end of former players coming back to PPG Paints Arena this week.

Forward Alex Nylander, traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets back on Feb. 22, already faced his former team in Pittsburgh for the first time on March 5, a 5-3 Penguins win, one night removed from scoring a hat trick in only his third game with Columbus.

That performance turned out not to be an aberration for Nylander, who has now scored eight goals with three asists in 15 games with the Blue Jackets.

Due to an upper-body injury, Nylander won’t suit up Thursday against the Penguins, with whom he spent parts of three seasons, shutting often between the NHL and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

But since his departure from Pittsburgh, Nylander seems to have tapped into something that’s propelled him to new levels as an NHLer with the Blue Jackets.

“I knew (Columbus) took a chance on me and that I really had to prove myself playing here and show what I can do,” Nylander said. “I’m really glad I was able to do that. … Just got to keep working hard every day here. That’s been the most of my success, because I’ve been working hard.”

Over the course of his career, Nylander had played just one full NHL season, which came in 2019-20 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 65 games, he netted 10 goals and had 16 assists.

A consistent producer in the AHL, Nylander scored 56 goals with 56 assists in 142 games at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in parts of three seasons.

For Nylander, when call-ups to Pittsburgh did arrive — he played nine games for the club in 2022-23 and five this year before being traded — consistent production was not in the cards during the brief looks the Penguins afforded him.

“Obviously, it was really good when I was down in the (AHL),” Nylander said. “Really got my game going there. I knew I could play up in the NHL and didn’t really get many chances to play up here and play more games. That’s really unfortunate (because) I really wanted to play and show I can play in the NHL.”

Nylander began his career in Columbus on the club’s third line but as a result of his offensive contributions, coach Pascal Vincent elevated him to the top line, where he’s skated as right wing alongside Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau, averaging a career-high 16 minutes, 46 seconds of nightly ice time.

Vincent credited a simple change in scenery as helping to jump-start this new encouraging chapter in Nylander’s career.

“I believe what’s been missing in the past, and I’m sure everyone has seen that, is the consistency in this,” Vincent said. “So far, he’s been consistent for us. Like I told him, ‘Blank page with us. We’re going to give you a real opportunity. This is what we expect, A, B and C. If you do it, you’ll be fine.’ He took the ball and ran with it.”

While he won’t get a chance to play against his former teammates Thursday, Nylander did get to catch up with several of them when the Blue Jackets conducted their morning skate at PPG Paints Arena.

Nylander’s return to Pittsburgh coincides with several of his former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton teammates, such as forwards Jonathan Gruden, Valtteri Puustinen and Sam Poulin plus blueliner Jack St. Ivany, all currently getting shots with the Penguins.

“It’s good to see them again,” Nylander said. “I spent a lot of time with them and they’re a great group of guys. … That’s awesome that they’re finally getting a step up, getting some games and getting a taste of the NHL because they’ve been doing really good (in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). Really happy for them.”

The success Nylander has experienced so far Columbus has not escaped his old teammates’ notice, who reciprocated well-wishes.

“He was a great teammate,” said forward Jonathan Gruden. “I really enjoyed my time with him, two and a half years (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). He’s a great kid. Comes to the rink with a good attitude. He’s had success in Columbus. It’s good to see. He deserves it.

“It’s nice to see, obviously, him kind of catching his stride. You know he has the talent. Sometimes, it’s not been going his way, but you could see his perseverance and character.”

Note: Coach Mike Sullivan was asked Thursday about the status of forward Matt Nieto, who has not played since Nov. 30 due to a right knee injury that required surgery in early January.

Following the surgery, the team announced an expected recovery of six to eight weeks on Jan. 4.

Since then, Nieto, currently designated to long-term injured reserve, has rarely been seen on the ice even in a rehabilitation setting.

With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, a growing shadow of doubt surrounds Nieto’s return to action in 2023-24.

“Obviously, there’s limited time left in the season,” Sullivan said. “We’ll see where it goes. They’re (the team’s medical and training staff) working extremely hard with (Nieto) to get him back as quickly as possible. Obviously, there’s been a lot of challenges that they’ve worked through to get him to this point. We’ll see where it goes. I don’t want to rule anything out at this point.”

Staff writer Seth Rorabaugh contributed to this story.