Mar 23, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Martin Marincin (85) and Winnipeg Jets forward Chris Thorburn (22) battle in front of goaltender Ben Scrivens (30) during the second period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
No.16 – Martin Marincin
By: Torrin Batchelor
The Edmonton Oilers 2nd round pick in 2010 was acquired in an absolute steal of a trade involving Brad Ross and a 4th round pick at the 2015 NHL Draft.
A pretty wide range of opinions among our staff when it comes to Marincin, he makes it on to our list largely because of great advanced stat metrics and an apparent readiness to contribute at the NHL level right away. With the large reaction of anger from Edmonton fans after the trade, there is a certain amount of hope that Marincin can make a decent impact in his Maple Leafs debut season, however due to a limited upside he will fall down this list faster than he will rise.
In two seasons with Edmonton he has significantly out-performed his given role on the Oilers blueline (dCorsi60 of 7.13 amd 5.51) and he’s also been a solid possession defender on a horrible possession team. Marincin is a great add to the current system and has a future with the Toronto Maple Leafs blueline.
With Marincin you aren’t going to get huge offensive numbers at the NHL level, but you are going to get steady defensive play. He’s a great complimentary player to a puck moving partner. Marincin himself has decent puck moving ability, but he tends to reserve himself in that regard.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner as the future of top-end puck moving defenders, having a steady defensive defender who can handle the puck as well is a great bonus and solidifies a potentially good third pairing down the road.
Marincin hasn’t garnered enough positive attention with everything else that’s gone on since the NHL draft, but he’s a player Toronto Maple Leafs fans are going to enjoy.
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