Sam Carrick will replace Rich Clune on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster for the last home game of the season Wednesday night versus Columbus.
It looked like the chance for an NHL appearance had past Sam Carrick by this season, with the organization sampling younger prospects while also rewarding other “older” players on the Marlies for their service this year.
It would be a shame if Carrick has been overlooked until this point. He’s a player who has handled everything thrown his way since graduating to the pros.
A casualty of the lockout as a rookie, Carrick spent the vast majority of his first professional season playing in the ECHL with no spots readily available on the Marlies. Come his sophomore year, Carrick often had to lead the line as the only centre on the team once injuries and call-ups decimated the Marlies roster.
Carrick’s first chance with the Leafs came last season in three separate call-ups, which from my perspective really gave us no indication either way of whether he could make it as an NHLer.
Five games in November under Carlyle saw him average nine shifts per game. Under Peter Horachek in January, opportunity was even tougher to come by with further-reduced ice time in the same amount of starts — on two occasions, he received under three minutes of TOI.
Afforded more playing time in six games through March of last season, Carrick recorded his first point versus Ottawa and then a goal versus Florida two games later. His last meaningful NHL action of 2014-15 was a fight in his last game against J.T Brown of Tampa Bay after, in typical Carrick style, he stuck up for a teammate.
Signed to a one-year deal last summer after the expiry of his entry-level contract, it never looked as if Carrick would make the Leafs through camp last Fall, and he struggled to put up points early in the season as the Marlies young guns dominated the headlines.
He was, however, learning to adapt his game. The dump and chase days, as part of an ethos of defensive hockey, were a thing of the past. Until he sustained a foot injury in Manitoba in early January, Carrick was suggesting that he had more to his game, showing the speed, skill and playmaking abilities many thought he didn’t possess in his arsenal.
Since returning to action on February 20, Carrick has been one of the hottest players on the Marlies roster. His ten goals and 17 points in 17 games includes three powerplay markers, which is impressive considering Toronto’s overall struggles with the man advantage. He’s been a difference maker at even strength with 27 of his 33 points earned at 5v5, while all except five of his overall points have either been goals or primary assists.
When you add the production to his penalty killing ability, his willingness to block shots and drop the gloves if need be and his ability to take key faceoffs, it can be fairly argued that Carrick has deserved his chance before others since the trade deadline.
With anything between one and three games to impress the Leafs brass in a contract year, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of opportunities Mike Babcock affords the 24-year-old centerman starting tonight versus Columbus.
