After Thursday night's games wrapped up, the entire NHL started its break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. No hockey will be played in this league until after the gold medal is handed out and we all get to either complain about Mitch Marner causing Canada to lose, or try to be happy about a team we like winning it all.
One league that will be still going on is the AHL and the Maple Leafs are using that to get a defenseman some ice-time.
On Friday morning the Leafs announced that they have sent blueliner Marshall Rifai back down to the Toronto Marlies.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned D Marshall Rifai to the Marlies.
— Toronto Marlies PR (@AHLMarliesPR) February 6, 2026
Leafs let Marshall Rifai play some games while on Olympic break
As the rest of the non-Olympians on the Leafs roster will be traveling elsewhere in the world for a possible vacation, the 27-year-old depth defenseman will be back in the AHL and hopefully getting some heavy minutes to get ready for when the NHL returns.
Rifai missed the first few months of the season as he was recovering from an injury but made his return to the ice for the Marlies in late December and played a total of 12 games for them until he was recalled by the Leafs last month.
Now, Rifai will continue his hockey schedule as the Marlies are in action Saturday, hosting the Springfield Thunderbirds. And hopefully he will be keeping his legs warm and stick ready for when the Leafs come back and play out the final 25 games of what has been a miserable season in Toronto.
There is a bright side though, for someone like Rifai. With the Maple Leafs looking to be out of the playoffs -- barring a miracle push up a giant mountain in the standings -- they are going to be shifting to selling off some pieces and that can include some defenseman departing the team before the March 6 trade deadline.
With players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Brandon Carlo, and Simon Benoit heavily named in the latest trade boards or trade rumours, the Leafs could be in desperate need for anyone to play on their blue line, and Rifai could more than step up and do that. It will be something to keep track of for sure, and would be a big opportunity for the Quebec native, too.
Rifai is signed through next season at a league-minimum $775,000 AAV and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.