Does this young Marlies defenceman have a future with the Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a deep, talented pool of both prospects and young players who have shown they can compete just as much as any other skater on the ice.

A handful of those players are taking the ice for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, especially during this spectacular run the team has been on, to now be one win away from a Calder Cup championship.

There is one player for the Marlies who has been impressive in recent memory, but hasn't quite produced as much due to the high level of prospects and young players that are overshadowing. That player is Chas Sharpe.

Sharpe is in the final stretch of his two-year contract, in which he signed with the Marlies prior to the 2024-25 season. However, this was just a simple AHL contract for the now 22-year-old defenceman. With him awaiting the next steps of his career when the playoffs are all said and done, the question would be if the Marlies, or even the Leafs, choose to keep him in the system.

The Orillia native has only been able to record nine points (three goals, six assists) in 33 games and one assist in five playoff games for the Marlies this year. What stands out about him is what he did in previous leagues.

Last season, Sharpe split time between the Marlies and the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. While he failed to record a point in four games in the AHL last year, Sharpe was dominant for the Cyclones. In 63 games played, he recorded 46 points (25 goals, 21 assists), which led all blueliners on the team.

The season before that, in 2023-24, Sharpe only played one game for the Marlies, but spent virtually the whole season with the Mississauga Steelheads (now Brampton Steelheads) of the OHL. During his time there, Sharpe tallied 53 points (19 goals, 34 assists) in 67 games played and was not only the captain for the season, but he also led all Steelheads defencemen in points and goals.

Sharpe isn't afraid to jump up in a rush or be on the net-crashing side of a two-on-one, which already proves he can handle the offensive portion of being a defenceman andshould be a factor in having him re-sign.

Where could Sharpe fit in on the Marlies or Leafs after the season?

As mentioned before, the organization has many talented young players, even those on the blueline, such as William Villeneuve, Ben Danford and even Noah Chadwick, to name a few. This means the Leafs are loaded up with young, promising defencemen to hold down the fort in the future.

However, this shouldn't take away from the fact that Sharpe hasn't even played 50 career games in the AHL. He still has a lot of room to grow, and the numbers he put up in both the OHL and ECHL should be solid proof that he can factor into the plan of the Leafs or Marlies.

Sharpe is a right-handed defenceman, which is already an attractive trait that both teams would love to keep around. Giving him another AHL contract or even a two-way contract with the Leafs would provide Sharpe with yet another chance to dominate and easily fit into a first or second defensive pairing.

With the way the Leafs and Marlies would look next year, as well as how the youngsters are performing in big ways, it might urge the organization to sign him for a couple more years, in which he frankly deserves it just from his track record alone.

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