Toronto Maple Leafs: Marlies Must Find Some Hidden Gems

Those hidden gems which the Toronto Maple Leafs organization are so gifted at finding will be needed now more than ever.

Roughly one week ago, the Marlies appeared to be hitting their stride.

Entering into a break-neck final stretch of the season, they’d somehow managed to overcome losing a whopping 168 man-games to injuries, including, amongst others, lengthy respective absences from their two most promising defence prospects.

Still, the Marlies had come out the other side in one piece, sitting firmly in a playoff spot.

Everything seemed to be coming up Millhouse. That is, until it didn’t.

Already reeling from the sudden departure of Carl Grundstrom, the Marlies’ top-six took yet another hit soon after in the form of Mason Marchment, who suffered a fractured collarbone on February 1st and is not slated for a return until April, at the earliest.

While serving an important purpose to the team, losing Marchment is a storm the Marlies could conceivably weather. Their forward corps is so deep offensively that finding another 20-goal-scorer-in-waiting on either the third or fourth lines was not out of the question.

Replacing Chris Mueller, however, is.

Mueller had been the undisputed Marlies’ MVP this season. With a significant chunk of last year’s core graduating up to the NHL, the 29-year-old flourished as the lineup’s new offensive focal point to the tune of 51 points in 47 games while posting team-leading totals in regards to points-per-game, game winners, and power play goals.

Mueller, on top of all that, also played an instrumental role in the sophomore emergence of Jeremy Bracco. The two developed unmatched chemistry together directly out of the gates and formed a formidable duo, both at even strength and on the man advantage.

Of course, it didn’t last. How could it? The Marlies aren’t allowed to have such luxuries as “stability” or “a healthy roster”.

Mueller will now miss “an extended period of time” with a hamstring injury, per Sheldon Keefe. His timeline for a return, while yet to be specified, is being handled like that of a matter of weeks by the team, according to their bench boss.

To make matters worse, the Vancouver Canucks sent Sam Gagner to Edmonton in a pre-deadline move less than a week later, stripping the Marlies, once again, of another offensive pillar.

For those keeping track at home, that’s Grundstrom, Marchment, Mueller, and Gagner who will now be out of the Marlies’ lineup for the foreseeable future, with only Marchment and Mueller remaining in the team’s possession.

Someone will need to step up. The hidden gems this organization is so known for finding will need to shine through.

Who could it be? Well, let me tell you.

Brady Ferguson

Having put up 39 points in 35 games with the Newfoundland Growlers this season, Brady Ferguson has absolutely torched the ECHL in what is his first year of professional hockey.

Ferguson is precisely the type of versatile forward the Marlies so often covet. He’s a swiss army knife of sorts; comfortable playing both down the middle and on the wing while proving himself to be an effective power play option along the half wall, as well.

Ferguson showed just as much late last season after joining the Marlies on an ATO.

The 24-year-old finished his first AHL stint with 4 points, all assists, in 5 games and appeared to look right at home up against the toughest field of competition he had ever faced at that point in his career.

What elevates Ferguson above his peers more than anything is his motor. He’s simply relentless on the puck – both in neutral ice and along the boards. Ferguson may not be the fastest player on the ice, but he uses an acute sense of positioning to cordon off passing lanes in his own zone and serves as a constant takeaway-threat at the other end.

All of that was on full display throughout Monday’s contest with the Syracuse Crunch –  Ferguson’s first back with the Marlies since November 18th – when he doggedly tracked the puck in the offensive zone, snatched it off his opponent’s stick and then promptly drew a penalty for his troubles.

Those types of play are exactly what will earn Ferguson a longer look once Keefe begins to piece together the look of his lineup heading into the playoffs.

Michael Carcone

It’s hard to label Michael Carcone as a hidden gem, given that he was acquired as the central return for an NHL asset and solidified himself as a lineup mainstay, for the most part, ever since. But the GTA-native has gone largely unnoticed by the fanbase following his arrival, allowing him to fly just under the radar.

Now, that seems due to change.

Carcone is only 22-years-old. And while most no longer consider him a traditional prospect, there’s still some runway left on his development path that an uptick in minutes certainly wouldn’t hurt.

What leads to Carcone’s “hidden gem” status here is his usage.

Both in Utica and now in Toronto, Carcone has been deployed in a predominantly supporting role this season and still managed to produce a respectable 28 points in 41 games nonetheless, even occasionally showing brief flashes of offensive creativity that apparently lurks just under the surface.

The tools for a breakout are there.

Carcone has one of the harder shots amongst the Marlies’ forward group; something he often uses to his advantage off the rush and, if you’re sensing a theme here, on the man advantage, too.

His overall skill set, while not particularly dynamic by any means, still projects as one which could flourish with more responsibility. In fact, that responsibility may have already come.

Carcone slotted in on the Marlies’ second line during their Family Day matchup on Monday afternoon alongside Pierre Engvall and Dmytro Timashov and even wound up assisting on the former’s eventual game-winning goal.

This new pairing appears to suit Carcone quite well.

Both Timashov and Engvall are gifted possession drivers – players whose games rely primarily on aggressive zone entries and continuous cycles. Whereas the possession duties typically fell to Carcone when he was previously deployed lower in the lineup, his new running mates will lessen the load in that regard and allow for Carcone to act more like the constant shooting threat that better fits his style.

You know, kind of like this.

Oh, was that goal assisted by Timashov? I didn’t notice.

(I did notice)

Gabriel Gagne

Speaking of shooting threats, allow me to introduce you to Gabriel Gagne.

Gagne bears the most NHL-ready shot of any Marlie forward, save for maybe Marchment, and the fact that he’s currently averaging around 2.4 shots-per-game since arriving from Belleville via trade 14 games ago means that he’s certainly not shy about using it, either.

Even when looking back through Gagne’s breakout 20-goal campaign from last season, his highlights begin to develop a theme.

Did you catch it? What about now?

Still no? Alright, give this a look.

Yeah, now you get it. The guy likes to shoot. And with a cannon like that, can you blame him?

With Marchment out for an extended period of time and Sam Gagner‘s power play presence now in Edmonton, the door is wide open for Gagne to establish himself as the team’s premier shooting weapon.

Bumping him up to the Marlies’ top power-play unit may very well be the answer to this; where Gagne could theoretically assume the net-front position vacated by the injured Mueller while putting himself on the receiving end of constant back door feeds from the current AHL assist leader, Bracco.

Gagne certainly doesn’t thrive when it comes to foot speed, which is why the relatively stationary nature of a net-front role may suit him perfectly. It seemingly utilizes all of his various strengths. Not only would Gagne’s shooting prowess benefit from one of the league’s most gifted playmakers, he also won’t be asked to venture too far outside of his skill set, either.

Gagne’s other claim to fame is his size.

Measuring in at 6’5″, his height puts him in a three-way tie with Martin Marincin and Pierre Engvall for the tallest player on the Marlies, albeit with some of the ensuing benefit negated by Gagne’s relatively slight 185-pound frame.

Still, Gagne is a remarkably physical player considering his weight class. This shines through primarily in his ability to maintain the cycle – something which the Marlies use as the bread and butter of their forecheck.

Give Gagne the same transplant of possession hogging linemates that Carcone underwent recently, and the 22-year-old former second-rounder may very well bear the potential to emerge as an effective, albeit limited, power forward.

Thanks for reading!

All stats courtesy of hockeydb.com 

All gifs & footage courtesy of AHLtv.com