Toronto Maple Leafs: It’s Still a Good Time for Hockey in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be out of the playoffs, but hockey isn’t done in Toronto for the year.

Apart from the Toronto Maple Leafs having their season ended a few days ago by the Boston Bruins, there’s still a lot going on for Toronto sports.

The Toronto Raptors, who are in the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs getting set to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. And, there’s also the Toronto Blue Jays who’ve just called up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the big leagues. There’s a ton of major sports teams in Toronto who have the spotlight on them.

Another team that should have a huge spotlight on them and probably don’t are the Toronto Marlies.

Toronto Marlies

The Marlies are getting set to embark on their 2nd round series of the Calder Cup playoffs against the Cleveland Monsters. The Marlies record against the Monsters this season was 3-3-2. However, they’re coming off a first round sweep against the Rochester Americans where Chris Mueller had 5 points in 3 games (3G, 2A) and Adam Brooks with 4 goals in 3 games.

Even arguably the two biggest prospects in the Leafs system, Jeremy Bracco (4P in 3G) and Rasmus Sandin (4A in 3G) are off to an incredible start.

However, it’s not just the great start that make’s it such a good time to go watch the Marlies. The youth they have up and down their lineup makes them such a fun team to watch. It’s obviously great hockey, but three players that were with the Leafs in their playoff hunt are back down with the Marlies to give them a huge push to win their 2nd straight Calder Cup.

Michael Hutchinson was one of the stories in this weird AHL/NHL season. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 29th after the news that Frederik Andersen was going to be out with a groin injury.

After he spent some time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he eventually got sent down where he would play 31 games with the Marlies and get 16 wins and have a .910 save percentage. Hutchinson did return to the Leafs before the start of the 1st round against Boston, but he didn’t play in any games.

One thing that’s going to be interesting is, who will be the starter for round 2? Kasimir Kaskisuo had a stellar first round against Rochester (3W, .960SV%), but will we see the hot goalie or will the Marlies be hesitant on who they choose.

Some familiar Marlies stories?

Another player that could be in his last season with the Marlies before graduating to the Leafs is Calle Rosen. He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in early April after returning from an injury. In 4 games with the Leafs, he had 1 assist in 4 games. But, it’s not him coming from the Leafs that’s exciting. T

he Marlies are getting one of, or maybe, their best defensemen back. This season with the Marlies, Rosen pulled off an incredible 46 points in 54 games. He’ll be a massive addition back to their blue line and another threat in terms of point production.

Trevor Moore is the biggest name coming back to the Marlies. Before he left for the NHL, Moore racked up 39 points in 46 games, but with the Leafs he had 8 points in 25 games.

This is likely his last year with the Marlies as he will potentially start the 2019/20 season with the Leafs. We might see the same from him as we did last year with Andreas Johnsson who was on the Leafs in their playoff run, before returning to the Marlies and helping them win the Calder Cup.

Both these two players will be incredible additions to the Marlies lineup and it will make them an amazing team to watch. They will likely both dominate at the AHL level, which is one of the many reasons why you should head down to the Coca-Cola Coliseum to check out a game.

With the question of coaching in the Leafs organization, you’ll also get to see one of the next possible assistant coaches for the Toronto Maple Leafs, or something unlikely but still possible, the next head coach, Sheldon Keefe.

He and Kyle Dubas are said to be on the same track on how the game of hockey should be played and how a winning team should be built. So, if you catch a Marlies game, you can get a taste of what the coaching could be like next season with the Leafs.

The tickets are also a lot more cheaper than a Toronto Maple Leafs game. To see the Leafs in their playoff series against Boston in the 100-level, it was around $600 a ticket. To go to a game and watch the Marlies play, tickets are around $33 each and that’s also in the 100-level.

If you’re still missing hockey and you want to go to a game with a great atmosphere, head down to the Coliseum and check out a game. It’s a fun time for a bunch of friends, you and someone else, or even the whole family. And why not? Who wouldn’t want to go watch some future Toronto Maple Leafs battle to win the Calder Cup Championship?

They have a good chance and with the additions of Moore, Rosen, and Hutchinson, it gives them a lot more of a chance to go for and possibly win. If you miss hockey and you’re tired of watching teams that you don’t like in the NHL playoffs, it might be a good time to hop on, or join the Marlies bandwagon.

Or, are the fans already ‘fans’ because they cheer for the Leafs? It doesn’t matter, the Marlies start the 2nd round against the Cleveland Monsters on May 1st at 7PM. It’ll be a hell of a series and one playoff run that’ll be worth watching before the summer starts.