Toronto Maple Leafs: The Shanahan Rebuild So Far

Sep 23, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (62) skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Leafs Cupboards Getting Replenished

A look at the roster of the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs’ AHL affiliate shows a cupboard fully stocked with players under 25 years old. Twenty-two of them to be exact although some such as Stuart Percy, Sam Carrick, Zach Hyman, Casey Bailey, and Nikita Soshnikov are expected to challenge for jobs with the big club.

Others, including William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Brandon Leipsic, and Connor Brown, hope to do enough to change the minds of Leafs’ management who are taking a “no rush” attitude to younger prospects. The addition of 5 veteran players on Canada Day, two more this week, and the emergence of Matt Frattin at the end of last season makes it much less likely now that we will see any of the under 25-year-old prospects in a Leaf uniform next season. Here’s a look at the possible under-25 Marlies:

Forwards- William Nylander- 19, Kaspari Kapanen- 19, Frederik Gauthier- 20, Connor Brown- 21, Brandon Leipsic- 21, Josh Leivo- 21, Nikita Soshnikov- 21, Ryan Rupert- 21, Sam Carrick- 22, Casey Bailey- 23, Zach Hyman- 23, Byron Froese- 24

Defencemen- Rinat Valiev- 19, Matt Finn- 21, Stuart Percy- 22, Scott Harrington- 22, Viktor Loov- 22, Tom Nilsson- 22, Petter Granberg-23

Goaltenders- Antoine Bibeau- 20, Garret Sparks- 22, Christopher Gibson- 23

The Marlies, lead by rookie head coach Sheldon Keefe, will ice one of the youngest teams in the AHL next season, if not the youngest. Keefe himself is only 34 and fresh out of the OHL. One thing is for sure: these young players will not be rushed but Mike Babcock will be watching. Hard work will eventually be rewarded with a call from the big club. Expect to see that a lot in the next couple of seasons as the new head coach evaluates the talent within the system.

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So, the question of everyone’s minds seems to be, what will Shanahan and his crew do next? There are never any guarantees but there’s a distinct possibility that a trade or two will happen before training camp happens. There seems to be a logjam of centermen on the roster these days after the Leafs signed RFA Nazem Kadri to a 1-year contract. Kadri, Tyler Bozak, Peter Holland, Shawn Matthias, and Nick Spaling are all natural centers. Winnik, Arcobello, and Leo Komarov can all play the position if needed so who will go?

My money is on Bozak for a few reasons. Besides Kadri, Bozak will bring in the most value. It’s rumored that the Leafs are asking for a 2nd-round pick for the 29-year old pivot. This is a bargain for a guy who scored 23 goals last year, kills penalties, and is great on the draw.

I also believe that the Leafs view Bozak as “an extension of Phil Kessel.” What does that mean exactly? Well, if you cut the chicken’s head off, the body keeps running. If the Leafs really viewed Kessel as the type of personality that they didn’t want around anymore, why would they keep his roommate and best friend on the team around? I can’t see it happening.

Time will obviously tell what comes next for Leafs management but one can only look at the t-shirts being worn by Leafs prospects this week to get a clear idea of where things are heading. “I AM ABLE- 340” is what appears on the front of each and every one of them.

Translation: Anybody who expects to take more than 25 days off a year will not be a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Anyone who believes that training starts at training camp will not play for Mike Babcock. Of course, the players always have an option if they take offense to “the 340 motto.” In fact, we only have to review the words of Coach Babcock to figure out that option.

“If you don’t wanna be like that… if you don’t wanna be part of the Maple Leafs that’s fine too. All you do is you go see Shanny.”

Be sure to check out my weekly “LEAF POINTS’ column every Monday morning! If you have any questions, comments, hate mail, etc… then you can email me at:retoronto71@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter @robb_ellis

Next: Leafs: Who Gets Traded First?