Toronto Maple Leafs: Marlies Power Rankings Part Four

Much has changed recently in how the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies conduct business.

You know the drill by now, right? If not, here’s a quick refresher.

• Rankings are comprised of the following criteria: role, value, immediate impact, and NHL potential. This means an effective AHL-lifer may place higher than a prospect RIGHT NOW, but only because their role is secured.
• The only players included are those listed on the Marlies roster as of August 18th. Guys like Travis Dermott, Justin Holl, and Andreas Johnsson won’t be on it.
• If you disagree, please tell me how wrong I am using the most profanity possible.

Everyone good? Alright, let’s get going.

12. Jordan Subban

There may not be a more enticing Marlie right now than Jordan Subban and it’s easy to see why.

In recent years, the Marlies as an organization have built their reputation upon the ability to successfully rehabilitate stalling young talent.

Justin Holl was but an ECHL castoff before Kyle Dubas saw enough to justify plucking him from the void. Three years, two NHL goals, and one Calder Cup later, Holl enters Leafs camp next month a likely candidate for a legitimate NHL roster spot.

Then there’s Mason Marchment, undrafted and mired in free agent limbo after ageing out of OHL eligibility, who the Marlies adopted back in 2015. Beginning his summit up the depth chart at its lowest possible rung in Orlando, Marchment managed to earn an ELC before April of his AHL rookie campaign even rolled around.

This is what makes Subban’s arrival so tantalizing.

His ceiling, were all to go according to plan, has the potential to dwarf that of his peers. Signing with the Leafs will effectively surround Subban with a team of development professionals at the apex of their industry, a claim neither the Canucks or Kings organizations could make during either of Subban’s prior respective stints.

As regime change and internal inconsistency stalled his development, Subban will be given all the necessary resources to take his game where he wants it to go.

And where exactly could that be? Well, look no further than the aforementioned Holl.

This pairing of right shots share a distinction as former-second-round picks whose organizations peddled them off early for minimal return, thriving offensively via their back-end mobility and penchant for generating offensive zone entries.

This isn’t to paint Holl as Subban’s best-case scenario, either. In fact, it’s the latter who exhibits flashes of dynamism absent in the former.

Whereas Holl rushes the puck in a methodical effort to survey his route on the fly, Subban barrels ahead at full speed to catch opponents off guard.

Sometimes he miscalculates, other times he does this.

That’s game-breaking ability, folks. The kind you either have or you don’t. Subban appears to fall into option A, and if taught to use these abilities correctly, there’s really no telling what he could do next.

13. Jeremy Bracco

My comprehensive breakdown of Jeremy Bracco can be found here.

If you’re too lazy to click on that link, I guess I’ll just give you a synopsis anyway. But know that I’m judging you. Hard.

Bracco’s offence stems from his innate ability as a playmaker, a mix of both on-ice vision and uncharacteristic patience for his age allowing him to find open teammates in areas most players just can’t.

Nowhere was this seen to a greater extent in 2017-18 than on the man advantage.

It was Bracco who effectively reanimated an inept Marlies powerplay in mid-March, their unit wilting amidst the fallout of Andreas Johnsson‘s sudden departure. With Johnsson up with the Leafs, Bracco was tapped to assume his regular position along the half wall, flourishing in his new role and finishing the season on a tear with 14 points in 11 games.

Perhaps what impresses me the most about Bracco is not his ability to simply pass the puck, but the types of passes he even attempts in the first place.

Take the clip below for example.

Most players receiving the puck at the far wall like Bracco does generally begin plotting their next move along one of two lines; either shoot at the goalie’s pads to force a rebound or carry it around the net and look back door.

Suffice it to say, wiring the puck into a crowded slot does not top the list of possibilities.

Only, it does for Bracco.

In a move rarely seen from those still adapting to AHL play, Bracco opts for serving a streaking Ben Smith with the puck on a platter instead, leading to a successful redirection which stuns the opposing goaltender.

This play dies immediately on Smith’s stick if not timed down to the millisecond. And Bracco does just that, identifying Smith at the edge of his peripherals and proceeding to hit him while in motion, doing so in the span of 2 seconds.

There are things for Bracco to continue working on, namely his shot, conditioning, and overall consistency. And while those deficiencies are what holds him back, the strides he took as a rookie are impressive nonetheless.

With new responsibilities on the horizon, it’s unlikely we’ll see Bracco this far down next year’s list.

14. Andreas Borgman

Like Bracco, my breakdown of Andreas Borgman‘s current situation can be found here.

What lands Borgman so low here is wasted opportunity.

No player can be expected to receive news of a mid-season demotion with elation. It’s not just fair, a message from your team telling you “you’re not good enough”. Although, Borgman’s was different than that, less of a step back and more of a calculated move to heighten his ceiling.

Sent to the Marlies with specific the intent of developing into a penalty killer, Borgman was given every opportunity to succeed as a big fish in a small pond. Needless to say, he did not do that.

To put it bluntly, Borgman never quite looked comfortable at the AHL level, his decision making a half step behind those around him. Which isn’t to say his Marlies tenure was all bad. Borgman performed well in a heavy dose of shorthanded minutes, hinting towards the existence of the penalty killing abilities he was sent down to acquire in the first place.

Alas, Borgman’s less than stellar position on this list stems from his postseason performance, or rather, his complete and glaring lack of one.

I’m not here to doubt that Borgman was indeed injured during the Marlies first-round series with Utica. What I doubt, along with many others around the team, is that he was too injured to return at any point down the line.

The most likely scenario? The Marlies didn’t actually need Borgman at all and shut him down for the remainder of the playoffs.

It’s highly unlikely that Borgman begins his 2018-19 season as a member of the Leafs, giving him a do-over on the Marlies to take that next step his organization expects of him.

Until Borgman proves he can, he lands outside the top-10.

Thanks for reading!