Toronto Maple Leafs: The Last Spot on the Blueline

The Toronto Maple Leafs blueline is almost set in stone, there’s just one piece missing to round out their top six.

Mike Babcock already has two of his three defense pairs figured out. Morgan Rielly will play with Ron Hainsey and Jake Gardiner with Nikita Zaitsev. At least, that’s the plan for the time being. That leaves Connor Carrick as one-half of the third pairing and one open spot on the Leafs blueline.

There are options, of course, such as Swedish signees Calle Rosén and Andreas Borgman and the 2017 first round pick, Timothy Liljegren, but all three are likely going to need at least one year with the Toronto Marlies to adjust to the North American game.

Many Leafs fans think Travis Dermott will end up making the team this season. Unfortunately, having a relatively inexperienced third pair like Dermott and Carrick seems like a recipe for disaster. If Dermott does make the opening night roster, it makes more sense to split Rielly and Hainsey and move the veteran defenseman down to the third pair. But that’s an entirely new can of worms to open, so we won’t focus on that for now.

Dermott vs. Marincin

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Aside from the Swedish trifecta I mentioned above, Martin Marincin is the one other defenseman who will be competing for that final spot on the blueline.

Marincin quickly fell out of favor with Babcock last season. His play was inconsistent and he made head-scratching decisions with the puck. Marincin couldn’t stay in the lineup consistently as a result. He only played 25 games last season and tallied just seven points, though he averaged 18:08 minutes of ice-time per game. There were nights where Babcock didn’t trust Marincin enough to play. That meant turning to Alexey Marchenko instead (not that he was any better of an option). Zaitsev’s injury late in the season forced Babcock to play Marincin because by then, Marchenko hadn’t proven to be an improvement.

It will come down to Marincin and Dermott for the sixth defenseman. Whoever has a better showing at training camp will be playing on opening night.

Dermott has never played in the NHL and while he looks to be ready, it’s going to be an adjustment no matter what.

Marincin, on the other hand, does have that experience. The problem is that Babcock doesn’t seem to particularly trust him. He does kill penalties and is effective, largely in part due to his long stick. However, he hasn’t impressed very much when given opportunities to play. Whether it’s by Dermott or the Swedes, Marincin is going to be passed over on the depth chart very quickly.

Summary

Ultimately, I think Dermott’s chances are better to make the opening night roster than Marincin’s. Once your coach has lost confidence in you, it’s extremely hard to gain it back. With a lack of better options on the Marlies, though, Marincin will likely be kept around as their seventh defenseman.

One option I could see the Leafs going with is to alternate both of them here and there. That way, Dermott doesn’t burn out too quickly and Marincin still gets to play.

If Dermott proves that he can stick for the remainder of the season, then Marincin will likely have to wait for another opportunity to get back into the lineup. Injuries are common (last season, the Leafs lost both Rielly and Zaitsev at critical points in their playoff push) and should Dermott falter at any point, Marincin is the obvious option.

Barring an impressive showing from Marincin and a shaky one from Dermott at training camp, Dermott will secure that last spot on the blueline. Though Borgman and Rosén could surprise at training camp too.

Next: The Kappy Debate

If I had to guess though, it would be Dermott lacing up the skates on October 4th in Winnipeg.

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Statistics from Hockey Reference.

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