For the first time in franchise history, the Toronto Marlies will enter the season as defending Calder Cup champions.
The Marlies training camp, due to the Leafs running with a large training camp roster until the end of camp, consisted mostly of players destined for the Newfoundland Growlers. Players reassigned to the ECHL include Brady Ferguson, Scott Pooley, Derian Plouffe, Alex Gudbranson, Josh Kestner, Eamon McAdam, Giorgio Estephan, Ryan Moore, Matt Bradley, Zach O’Brien, and Stefan LeBlanc.
With that in mind, there hasn’t been much time for chemistry to be formed between new and returning faces before the season opener on Friday, October 5.
The Marlies will need to hit the ground running nonetheless with three games in four days to begin their campaign, starting with back-to-back road games in Utica and Binghamton before they return home to raise the championship banner on Monday, October 8 against the Cleveland Monsters.
A number of North Division opponents have — internally and via their NHL affiliates — upgraded their respective rosters. With 71% of the schedule made up of divisional games, those match-ups will again largely determine the outcome of the regular season.
Roster Notes
The two notable things about Toronto’s roster compared to 2017-18 are the lack of rookies and the seismic change between the pipes.
After fielding seven full-time rookies last season, defenseman Rasmus Sandin and forward Hudson Elynuik are the only current first-year professionals on the Marlies roster. However, Sandin is going to miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained thumb injury sustained in a preseason game and where he’s going to play this season once he’s recovered is still undecided at this stage.
With Garret Sparks’ promotion and the loss of Calvin Pickard through waivers, Kasimir Kaskisuo inherits the Marlies net in what is now a golden chance to make his mark in the organization. The Finnish netminder played 28 games on a loan spell with Chicago last season and his .916 save percentage placed him 15th among AHL goaltenders in that category. The 25-year-old has impressed during his limited stints with the Marlies in 2015-16 and 2016-17 as well as in his lone start for Toronto last season, a victory in which he turned aside 26 of 27 shots.
Veteran Jeff Glass has been signed to an AHL contract and will start as the back-up. The Alberta native returns for his second stint with the Marlies, having previously played two games during the 2016-17 campaign, the season in which the Marlies famously fielded eight different goaltenders. Glass was a part of the Chicago organization last season, playing 15 games for the Blackhawks and 28 in the AHL with Rockford.
The Marlies defense will have a familiar look combined with a smattering of new faces who may receive an opportunity thanks to Justin Holl and Martin Marincin’s promotion to the Leafs roster for the time being. Andreas Borgman, Timothy Liljegren, Vincent LoVerde, Andrew Nielsen, Calle Rosén and Sam Jardine will be supplemented by Jordan Subban, Ryan Sproul (PTO), possibly Kyle Cumiskey (tryout), and potentially the currently-injured Rasmus Sandin.
The addition of Sam Gagner (on loan from Vancouver Canucks) boosts an already potent forward group and adds depth down the middle for the short-term at least. Vancouver opted to allow Gagner to play for an AHL team closer to his family (rather than the Utica Comets) after he cleared waivers, but of course, the Canucks could trade or call him up at any time. The 29-year-old is a .56 point per game producer in the NHL, recording a career-high 50 points as recently as 2016-17 while a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With a skill level and resume that transcends the AHL level, Gagner adds to a solid forward veteran core that includes Rich Clune, Colin Greening, Chris Mueller, and two new faces in Adam Cracknell and Josh Jooris. The other vet in the mix is Eric Selleck, but the Ontario native is currently on a try-out and is yet to be offered a contract.
Hudson Elynuik is the lone rookie forward but he’ll be part of a still-young Toronto forward group comprised of quite a few players 25 and under, including Jeremy Bracco, Adam Brooks (injured), Griffen Molino, Trevor Moore, Dmytro Timashov, Kristian Pospisil (injured), Emerson Clark, Pierre Engvall, Carl Grundström, Mason Marchment (injured), and Quentin Shore (try-out).
Frédérik Gauthier is currently in the NHL, but he could be waiver-bound and reassigned to the Marlies if he clears when William Nylander (hopefully) signs in the near future.
Expanded Opportunities: Players to Watch
With others having moved on or upwards in the organization, a number of players are in for expanded roles and opportunities this season.
– Jeremy Bracco finished 2017-18 as the hottest forward on the Marlies roster but was the victim of the numbers game come playoff time, sitting as a healthy scratch for the first time in his hockey-playing life. Primarily used on the kid ’fourth’ line last season, a consistent top-six role awaits Bracco as well as increased usage on the power play. He showed a great deal of promise there with 13 of his 32 points attained on the man advantage last year while playing QB from the point at times.
– Pierre Engvall was a part of the Marlies checking line (Gauthier and Greening) that matched up with opposition top lines in the playoffs and had success shutting them down, possessing the puck, and producing offense in the role. The Swedish winger was able to generate significant offensive numbers despite his deployment (eight points in nine regular season games + eight in playoffs) and is certain to be in line for a top-six role, possibly on a line with Bracco.
– It won’t so much be an expanded role for Carl Grundström so much as an opportunity on the first line from the beginning of the season onwards and a chance to prove he can produce over an extended period. After failing to make much of an impression in Leafs training camp, he will have every opportunity to rack up points high in the lineup and could start the year on Sam Gagner’s wing.
– On defense, the obvious player in line for a bigger role is Timothy Liljegren. After a promising rookie season consisting of steady growth and development, it’s time for the Swede to show what he can do in a top-four role and in less sheltered minutes. Where he fits into the special teams is up for debate, but I’m certain Sheldon Keefe will be using him on the penalty kill as part of his learning curve this season.
Here is a rough projection of the opening-night lineup:
Forwards
Grundstrom – Gagner – Cracknell
Engvall – Mueller – Bracco
Moore – Molino – Jooris
Timashov – Greening – Piccinich
Injured: Brooks, Marchment, Pospisil
Defensemen
Rosen – Liljegren
Borgman – LoVerde
Nielsen – Subban
Injured: Sandin
Goaltenders
Kaskisuo
Glass
