Leafs should use recent call-up's performance to spark lineup changes in the future

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still likely to miss the playoffs for the first time in what seems like forever, after years of being a top team in the NHL. However, their most recent Marlies call-up is giving hopeful signs for the future, given how he has played since joining the NHL squad.

Benoit-Olivier Groulx, also known as Bo Groulx, has immediately made an impact in the Leafs' lineup since joining the main roster. In just four games with the team, he has three goals, showing why he was the leading scorer for the Leafs' AHL team.

Groulx is the leading point and goal scorer on the Marlies, despite being with the Leafs for a few games now. Putting up a near point-per-game in any hockey league is impressive, as he recorded 50 points (27 goals, 23 assists) in 54 games in the AHL this season. Those numbers alone surely had a lot to do with him being a significant call-up. Despite how shocking it may sound, Groulx can easily soar past his career-high in NHL points, which he has already tied in four games with the Leafs. This is mainly because he spent a chunk of time with the Anaheim Ducks in 2023-24, who finished third-last in the NHL that season with quite a young, developing team.

What managment should take away from Groulx's performance

While Groulx hasn't seen significant NHL time since 2023-24, when he was a member of the Ducks, as previously mentioned, he has shown that he is still capable of performing at a high level and can be a gateway and an example of how good players on the Marlies are. While Groulx still technically leads the Marlies in scoring, though not being on the active roster, there are still a couple of players who are showing they should be next in line.

Groulx's performance so far should convince Leafs management to take a shot at other players who are doing well with the Marlies, like Vinni Lettieri, Alex Nylander, who had some NHL time with the Leafs in the past, and William Villenueve, the young, right-handed shot blueliner who leads the Leafs' AHL team in points among defencemen. While it's not guaranteed that success will come right away, as nobody was expecting Groulx to come out of the gate hot, the chance that any success at all is worth much more. If his point total with the Marlies were on the board with the Leafs players, Groulx would be in the top five in that category, just going to show how good he was in the AHL and how the Leafs were in need of his presence on the roster.

Although Groulx has some prior NHL experience under his belt, he is still only 26-years-old, and can be an underrated piece for the Leafs moving forward into next season that already looks like they'll need a major revamp to bring things back to normal. Until then, management should keep a close eye on other Marlies players to see who can make an impact right away, just as Groulx has done in such a short time.