The future of the Toronto Maple Leafs is on full display with the Toronto Marlies
Future members of the Toronto Maple Leafs were on full display as the Toronto Marlies won the Calder Cup completing a seven-game series over the Texas Stars. At a time when the salary cap is set to cost the Maple Leafs several talented players, the Marlies have emerged with plenty of potential replacements.
It appears this summer Toronto will say goodbye to unrestricted free agents such as James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Roman Polak, and Leo Komarov. However, the Marlies Calder Cup victory has shown players such as Andreas Johnsson, Miro Aaltonen, Carl Grundstrom, and Travis Dermott could be ready for a permanent spot on the main roster.
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The loss of van Riemsdyk will be the biggest blow to the Maple Leafs as replacing 36 goals, 54 points, and 20 powerplay points won’t be easy. Unfortunately for Toronto, it seems unlikely the team would be willing to match any big contract offers other teams are expected to make towards van Riemsdyk.
The Maple Leafs will have to ink new deals for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander as their entry-level contracts expire over the next two summers. Therefore, van Riemsdyk, along with Bozak, and Komarov are victims of the salary cap. The Maple Leafs won’t be able to match offers from opposing clubs for those guys.
A bright spot for Toronto is despite losing van Riemsdyk, Johnsson has emerged as an exciting prospect motivated to make an impact in the NHL next season. He was named MVP of the AHL playoffs after leading the playoffs in scoring with 24 points in 16 games. His offensive abilities have the Maple Leafs hoping he can slide right into van Riemsdyk’s spot on the power play and continue to produce.
Johnsson showed some flashes of his scoring ability when he was called up to the Maple Leafs over the season. Despite being mostly used as a fourth-line winger, Johnsson delivered three points in nine regular-season games but stood out more in the NHL playoffs where he had two points in six games.
Despite the small sample size in the NHL, he has shown over the AHL playoffs he’s capable of much more than a fourth-line role in the NHL. At only 23-years-old, the former seventh-round draft pick has given Maple Leafs fans reasons to be excited for his addition to the lineup.
Another player set to be a mainstay with the Maple Leafs is Dermott, who already has close to half of an NHL season under his belt after playing 37 regular season games this year. The defenseman was called up mid-season and was impossible to remove from the lineup. Once returning to the Marlies after the Maple Leafs’ season ended, Dermott excelled and became one of the team’s best players on their run to the Calder Cup.
When he was with the Maple Leafs, Dermott’s role seemed to grow game by game as he earned more trust from the coaching staff. By helping the Marlies capture the Calder Cup, Dermott earned plenty of trust entering next season’s training camp as the defender could find himself in a top-four role to open the Maple Leafs’ season.
Besides Johnsson and Dermott there are several other players who could find themselves graduating from the Marlies to the Maple Leafs over the next few seasons.
It already appears Aaltonen has surpassed Frederik Gauthier on the club’s depth chart. Toronto has tried to groom Gauthier into a fourth-line center for years to no success. After Aaltonen’s impressive season with the Marlies it’s likely he gets an opportunity to earn the fourth-line center role next season.
Grundstrom is another player who had a great run in the AHL playoffs and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the NHL next season. Although it’s unlikely he makes the Maple Leafs out of training camp, Grundstrom could be in a similar scenario to Kasperi Kapanen where he gets called up midseason.
Looking ahead a season or two, there’s also Toronto’s first-round pick from 2017, Timothy Liljegren who completed his first AHL season and didn’t look out of place. At only 19-years old, the Swedish defenseman still has a lot to learn before making it to the NHL. But he’s managed to meet or exceed expectations to this point of his career.
Next: Maple Leafs Offseason Outlook
Although the Maple Leafs are set to lose familiar faces this summer, the Marlies Calder Cup victory has shown there are new faces ready to step into the lineup.