Toronto Maple Leafs: Martin Marincin Redemption Project

Few would blame the Toronto Maple Leafs if they had no plans left for Martin Marincin.

The Martin Marincin Redemption Project should have happened by now.

Failing to crack the Maple Leafs’ roster in 2017, Marincin was then placed on waivers just days prior to opening day and promptly jettisoned to the Toronto Marlies, embarking upon his first extended AHL stint since 2014-15.

Little attention was paid to Marincin after that. He was an afterthought. An excess asset of little use to the team above.

But, what most perceived as a worst-case scenario for the then-25-year-old NHL hopeful ultimately proved to be anything but.

Marincin emerged as an invaluable contributor for the powerhouse Marlies almost immediately. Facing American League competition on a nightly basis, as it turns out, was a bonafide developmental goldmine – one which allowed Marincin to undergo the system reset his game so sorely needed and serving as the perfect testing ground to refine the various deficiencies continuously holding him back.

There’s less urgency in the AHL. Less emphasis on instinct. And for someone so challenged in the areas of both puck movement and decision making; for Marincin, it was the perfect remedy.

Given the green light by Sheldon Keefe, Marincin had the requisite leeway to try things on the Marlies that he simply had neither the ability nor confidence to attempt while with up the Leafs.  This included, most notably, driving the play with his feet and even jumping up into the rush, if the opportunity presented itself.

The hard work paid off.

Marincin flourished to the tune of 20 points in 52 games in his new role, establishing himself as one of the AHL’s premier defencemen while serving as the lynchpin for a Marlies’ penalty kill of historical dominance, as well.

It was a best-case scenario – one he capped off by helping lead the Marlies to their first Calder Cup in franchise history.

Marincin re-signed with the Leafs on a one-year deal week later, doing so largely in the hopes that he’d be able to parlay the good favour he’d accumulated that year under Kyle Dubas, who had recently taken over the Leafs post, into an NHL job.

Alas, then the season began. And after just 10 games of actual playing time with another 40 spent watching from the Scotiabank Arena press box, the Leafs placed Marincin back on waivers, destining him for the Marlies once again.

At the tail end of rollercoaster 18 months, Marincin found himself right back where he started.

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At a certain point, a player’s development ceases being the priority. Scouts typically find this to happen around the age 24 – when the “prospect” label gets shed and players simply “are what they are”.

Marincin is 26-years-old right now, set to celebrate his 27th birthday in less than 6 days. Any focus spent on his development should, by all accounts, be nonexistent.

But the Leafs are not sole mainstays in the player development business. They’re in the player improvement business as well, and they clearly believe something within Marincin warrants attention.

This is why Marincin’s time on the Marlies matters to Leafs’ management.

Taking a different approach than most, Toronto’s AHL affiliate does not function in the “nice farm upstate” for tweeners, salary dumps and past-their-prime veterans way which most tend to do. Everything is deliberate, undertaken with a clear train of thought.

The train of thought with Marincin, clearly, is improving his ability with the puck.

Playing his off-side on a stacked Marlies’ blueline has forced Marincin to go about this process in the most difficult fashion possible. It’s a method akin to jogging with ankle weights on. While certainly posing a challenge, if he’s able to thrive in such decidedly difficult circumstances, just think of what he’ll accomplish when returned back in his comfort zone.

The early returns have been incredibly promising.

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What Marincin benefits the most from at the AHL level is time. He needs a lot of it.

Marincin had become infamous during his time in the NHL for the abject panic he’d display when venturing within 10 feet of the puck – something largely due to the league’s minuscule window for decision making.

That window is decidedly bigger in the American League, and it’s a luxury which Marincin has taken full advantage of.

Take the clip below, for example.

The end result of this play is that it breaks down from a lack of communication. It’s a sequence requiring improvisation, which Marincin has never been known to possess.

Until now, that is.

Marincin instead demonstrates some uncharacteristic patience with the puck. First receiving it while in a forward stride, he opts to transition backwards to gain his footing while keeping his head up the entire time before shifting laterally to open up a passing lane.

More notable than Marincin’s patience, in this case, is his vision. Throughout the entire play, his head never drifts down at the puck – a nasty habit he’d developed in the NHL. Marincin is instead looking at the play unfolding ahead of him, plotting his next move.

Minutes later, Marincin manoeuvres through a nearly identical situation, this time to great success.

The difference is remarkably present.

Head up the entire time. Vision constantly shifting. A willingness to wait until the most beneficial option presents itself. The Marincin seen above is a different one than Leafs fans are accustomed to. This is Marincin looking far more comfortable than he ever has.

Now, compare that version of Marincin to the one who logged time up with the Leafs last season, and the difference becomes undeniable.

Receiving the puck now while in backwards stride, Marincin’s instinct is, simply, to panic under pressure. In an attempt to escape the oncoming forecheck, he tries to wring the puck up the boards on his off side – making the “safe play” as Mike Babcock is so known to love.

The clearing attempt is intercepted seconds later, and Marincin turns the puck over.

Resting just out of frame is Jake Gardiner, Marincin’s defence partner.

Gardiner’s presence, despite going unnoticed until later in the clip, is important nonetheless in illustrating the tunnel vision through which Marincin views these high-pressure situations.

Gardiner doesn’t actually touch the puck throughout the course of the entire play. Rather, him simply being there confirms a fact even more vital to the overall sequence; help was, indeed, available.

Gardiner is positioned so low in the defensive zone here for a reason. He’s circling around the bottom hash marks, likely anticipating for Marincin to see no viable option available and opt to ring the puck back around the net to regroup.

Marincin, of course, does not do that.

Instead, Marincin attempts to win the puck back from the forechecker. And as his eyes glue themselves squarely to the puck while doing so, he fails to account for his own winger curling back in support. It takes an instant for Marincin to lose perspective of the play altogether.

Attempting to ice the puck once again after winning the battle, Marincin collides with the curling winger and, unsurprisingly, turns the puck over for a second time. Were it not for Frederik Andersen, it would have ended up in the Leafs’ net.

What began as a simple transitional play takes 8 seconds to devolve into a grade-A scoring chance for the opposition.

This sequence, while futile in its result, effectively encapsulates nearly everything which held Marincin back. Note the lack of patience when with the puck. The ensuing panic. Opting to make the “safe play” instead of the rational one. The loss of overall perspective.

It’s all there.

Fast forward back to his current stint with the Marlies, however, and the progress is remarkable to see.

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It’s expected, of course, for Marincin to flourish when facing the lessened talent pool the AHL has to offer. And he has. But that’s not the point.

Rather, it’s the way Marincin achieves these results that speak to his evolution as a player with the Marlies. It’s the way Marincin now thrives amidst the very circumstances he so often approached with fear. The way he handles an oncoming forecheck. The way treats open ice.

His methods are different. Different, and for the better.

The four games Marincin has spent with the Marlies this season have led him to demonstrate a level of poise and awareness typically seen in an NHL-calibre player facing AHL-calibre competition.

Marincin’s progression, regardless of level, stems from the array of lesser-seen improvements he’s made to the intricate parts of his game.

The sequence below, for instance, is a prime example.

Here, Marincin finds himself in an all-too-familiar situation.

With an opposing forward bearing down, his former instinct would have been to view the patch of open ice to the right of the Marlies’ net as a viable outlet option – a lane through which to wring the puck up the boards and therefore forfeit possession.

But Marincin resists the urge to succumb to instinct this time.

With Andreas Borgman curling down behind him, Marincin does what he’s so often previously failed to do; recognize the presence of his partner. He keeps his head up, drawing the forechecker towards him in an effort to open the brief window needed to flip the puck to Borgman.

It works. Seconds later, the Marlies have broken out of their own zone.

As the play in question eventually breaks down in the neutral zone, Marincin once again resists the urge to chip the puck up the boards. Instead, he spots a curling Jeremy Bracco to his left, waits for the winger to space the blueline, and then feeds Bracco the puck once he’s become a viable outlet.

Bracco then triggers a zone entry seconds later, all due to Marincin’s use of patience to extend the play.

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Whether Leafs management still views Marincin as someone who factors into their long-term plans remains to be seen.

At this point, in fact, it’s highly unlikely. On the heels of what have now been three failed attempts from Marincin to carve out a role across three consecutive seasons, no one would blame Kyle Dubas if he opted to move on once the defender hits free agency in the summer.

But Marincin’s eventual landing spot – be it back in Toronto or elsewhere – is not the point.

The point is, to the Leafs, no one is a lost cause. No one is not worth saving.

Most teams would view a nearly 27-year-old defensive specialist with just 187 NHL games under his belt as a bonafide non-factor, effectively sentencing him to list away on the farm until free agency would make him one less problem to deal with.

But not the Leafs. They’ve welcomed Marincin into the fold. And regardless of the level the keep him at, Toronto’s development staff have instead chosen to dedicate both the time and resources needed for Marincin to take tangible strides forward.

Strides which will almost certainly benefit a rival organization come July 1st.

The Martin Marincin Redemption Project may be behind schedule, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing through.

Thanks for reading!

All gifs & footage courtesy of NHL.com & AHLtv.com

All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com