Toronto Maple Leafs: Marlies Pull Off Minor League Move

When it comes to prospect development, the Toronto Maple Leafs view the concept of a lengthy AHL playoff run with sincere importance.

This very mindset, particularly this season, has spurned Leafs management to operate the Toronto Marlies in a decidedly aggressive manner.

The Marlies have been through the wringer in 2018-19, from both an on-ice and personnel perspective. In the weeks since February 1st, two of the team’s top-5 scorers (Carl Grundstrom and Sam Gagner) departed unexpectedly via trade, while Chris Mueller (their leading point getter) and Mason Marchment (on pace for 20 goals at the time) suffered injuries that will keep them out of the lineup, respectively, for weeks on end.

The extent to which the Marlies’ depth has been depleted in recent weeks is staggering.

As if from a Thanos-esque snap, roughly half of their offensive core simply vanished from their grasp in an instant, as the coaching staff was subsequently left scrambling to compensate. And while the Marlies have indeed managed to get by in the meantime (somehow actually improving their playoff standing in the process) reinforcements were undoubtedly needed.

Nic Baptiste

On Sunday night, they came.

Beating the traffic of deadline day, the Leafs pulled the trigger on a minor league move to acquire forward Nic Baptiste from the Nashville Predators late last night in exchange for future considerations.

Those considerations, of course, have yet to be determined.

The 69th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Baptiste is an interesting case here. After thriving in a breakout AHL sophomore season in 2016-17 in which he put forth 41 points in 59 games for the Rochester Americans, not to mention 25 goals, the 23-year-old has since failed to take meaningful strides at either level and proceeded to spend only scattered stints up in the NHL.

Baptiste is a heavy player in practically every sense of the word. Measuring in at 6’1″ and 205 pounds, he possesses the solid frame needed to play a decidedly physical style, while his blistering shot and quick release allow him to act as a scoring threat from the outside.

The kicker here, however, is that Baptiste is a right-shot winger.

Adding a player of this specific archetype is of great importance to Sheldon Keefe, who generally opts for balance when comprising his forward lines and displays a tendency to shy away from stationing wingers on their offside if he can avoid it.

Lately, that hasn’t been possible. Gagner’s departure on February 16th effectively stripped the Marlies’ top-six of a central right-shot winger, therein forcing the left-shooting Michael Carcone onto the right side. Carcone has found success in his new surroundings, but there is a lingering sense that Keefe, in a perfect world, would have another right-shot at his disposal.

Baptiste’s arrival will work to remedy that.

Through his combination of both past success and relative offensive talent, Baptiste carries the requisite pedigree to fit into an AHL top-six, while his versatility will finally allow Keefe to shuffle his deck in order to ensure each piece lands in their optimal position.

Not to mention, Baptiste has flashed some understated skill in years past. His hands, particularly in close, are surprisingly smooth for a player of his size, and could perhaps even earn Baptiste a trial run in the net-front station on the Marlies powerplay which is currently vacated by an injured Mueller.

Given the playmaking talent the Marlies already have at their disposal, Baptiste’s finishing ability, if used correctly, could become weaponized.

Baptiste is also a pending RFA at the end of this season, meaning he will likely serve as just AHL depth, barring an unforeseen surge down the stretch.

In all likelihood, this is not a move that will impact the NHL level. But for an organization that values AHL success so highly when it comes to the development of their prospects, acquiring Baptiste is a worthwhile and influential deadline addition.

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All stats courtesy of hockeydb.com

All footage courtesy of NHL.com