3 Marlies Who Could Make the Toronto Maple Leafs Roster
Like every year, there are going to be a few players on the Toronto Marlies roster that end up playing a bunch of games with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.
When I think of the Toronto Marlies, I think of a winning organization that does an amazing job at developing talent. Since the team came into existence in the 2005-06 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs farm team has only missed the playoffs three times.
Even better, they’ve made the Conference Finals six times, have reached a Calder Cup Finals twice and actually won the championship during the 2017-18 season.
The Marlies are one of the most successful AHL franchises of the past two decades and year-after-year, they’ve continued to develop future Leafs. During the 2020-21 season alone, there were 12 players that played for both the Marlies and Leafs at some point in their career:
- Joey Anderson, Adam Brooks, Travis Dermott, Pierre Engvall, Justin Holl, Michael Hutchinson, Timothy Liljegren, Jake Muzzin, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Nick Robertson, and Rasmus Sandin
As you can see, the AHL is such an important place for development and once the 2021-22 season is over, there will definitely be a few more names to add to that list.
Also, before we get to the list and everyone freaks out, we’re not going to include Timothy Liljegren, Nick Robertson and/or Rasmus Sandin because that’s just too obvious.
Here are three Toronto Marlies that could surprise fans and get a shot on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster.
No. 1: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev
The 20-year-old centre from Moscow, Russia has a great chance at cracking the Leafs roster sooner than later.
Better known as “SDA”, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is a talented young man. Although he’s small, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, he’s solid enough offensively that he should be given a serious look at the NHL-level.
If Nick Robertson makes the roster, SDA should 100 percent follow suit so that these two can try to replicate the magic they had during the 2019-20 season with the Peterborough Petes. During that campaign, the duo played the majority of the season together and combined for 68 goals and 162 points.
Robertson scored 55 goals, while Der-Arguchintsev contributed 63 assists, so you can see how well they blended together.
Having those two reminisce on the Leafs fourth-line would be an awesome sight to see and it could add some serious energy to a line that’s old. With Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds slotted in that position, injecting some youth at that spot instead could be a great idea.
If Der-Arguchintsev doesn’t crack the lineup this year, expect him to be a serious contender for a full-time position in the 2022-23 campaign.
No. 2: Mac Hollowell
You may think of Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren when it comes to up-and-coming defensive prospects for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but you need to start knowing the name: Mac Hollowell.
The 22-year-old is immensely talented. Although he’s undersized (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), his skating is NHL-ready. The biggest issue right now is his physicality and ability to put up points at the professional level.
During his last season in the OHL, Hollowell scored 24 goals and registered 77 points. That was a huge jump from his previous best season (12 goals, 56 points), so it could have been a fluke season, but I beg to differ.
If you’ve watched Hollowell play, it’s easy to see that he has many NHL intangibles. If he’s able to produce offensively the way he did in junior, at the AHl-level, then he’ll be given a chance to succeed with the Leafs sooner than later.
The first-half of the 2021-22 Marlies season will be a big test for Hollowell, because it’ll show if he’s ready for the next step. As such, we’ll have to wait and see but keep an eye out on him as the next best defensive prospect.
No. 3: Joey Anderson
Anderson is signed for the next two seasons at $750K, so the Leafs have some time before they have to call him up, but with a potential weak left-side, they may want to do it sooner than later.
The additions of Nick Ritchie and Michael Bunting will be great to this roster, but Ilya Mikheyev could be a trade piece sooner than later. As such, it could open the door for someone like Joey Anderson to give the Leafs some energy minutes on the third line.
Here’s what Tony Ferrari of DobberProspects, said about Anderson after he was acquired by Toronto:
“The move was a cap clearing trade primarily for the Maple Leafs but the former Devil provides some interesting value, specifically as a player who fits the high energy, high-motor role that the Leafs are always in need of.”
That high-motor, high-energy role is something that Toronto desperately needs and Anderson can help with it. Not only can he provide that, but he can add some scoring depth that the Leafs were missing.
In 20 games last with the Marlies, Anderson showed his offensive touch, scoring seven goals, while adding four assists. He only has eight goals in 54 career NHL games (stats: hockeydb.com), but that number should rise tremendously if given an opportunity on this Toronto Maple Leafs team.
Next. 3 Players on the Leafs Trading Block. dark
Who knows if any of these three players will be full-time players by the end of the year, but keep an eye out for them as legitimate stars on the Marlies this year.