Toronto Maple Leafs: 2 Minor Transactions

The Toronto Maple Leafs made two transactions Monday morning as they gear up for the start of training camp next month.

The Toronto  Maple Leafs have cut ties with defenseman Alexey Marchenko.  Marchenko has been placed on waivers and if he is not claimed, he will go to the KHL.

Marchenko was acquired from the Red Wings last year and only played in 11 games. The Expansion Draft required the Leafs to expose players at each position with a certain amount of NHL experience and a contract.  Marchenko fit checked these boxes. Unfortunately, doing so was his main function as a Leaf.

Marchenko scored a goal and an assists in his 11 games. He did not figure into the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marchenko’s pending contract termination will put the team down to 48 contracts, out of the allowable 50.

While the Leafs are not deep on defense, Marchenko had virtually no chance of getting playing time ahead of the surprisingly effective Marincin, the recently signed Hainsey or the still developing and younger Carrick.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Prospect to AHL Contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Martins Dzierkals to an AHL contract.

Dzierkals contract does not allow for him to be called up to the NHL.  It does not count towards the 50 contract limit.

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Dzierkals was drafted in the third round, 68th overall, in 2015.  He is from Latvia, he is a winger, and he has been successful in the QMJHL. Since the Leafs are stacked at the wing position and Dzierkals isn’t close to being one of their best prospects, it makes sense to sign him to a one year deal for the AHL.

This way they do not have to expend a valuable contract, but they can continue to try to develop him. It’s a smart move and the Leafs don’t lose a potentially valuable prospect just because they have too many contracts from when they were rebuilding and taking on money.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will not be under a contract crunch next season when contracts to Van Bozak, Greening, Fehr and Lupul, at the least, will be off the books.

Next: What Move Should the Leafs Make Next?

These are pretty minor moves in the big scheme of things. They could, however, signal the start of the team gearing up for camp.  Things have been quiet for several weeks, so perhaps this signals that soon we’ll find out about Brown, JVR and Bozak.

With info from capfriendly.com and hockeydb.com