TORONTO – In my last article, I told you about five players who have anchored their position out of Toronto. After a season that saw Toronto hardly out of the basement of the Canadian Divison, five players are still on the open market from Toronto’s 2020-21 season.

Tyler Gaudet

A player who can sit on a third or fourth line in the NHL by the end of next season, Gaudet has been a reliable player for the Marlies and has shown and the umph on-ice. With an ‘A’ on his jersey last season, Gaudet brought experience to the Marlies core over the past two seasons.

During the 2020 playoffs, Gaudet was selected to be a part of the Maple Leafs Return to Play plan but was unable to secure himself a spot on the NHL roster.

Scoring 11 goals, 12 assists through 34 games in the Canadian bubble last season, Gaudet is a solid acquisition for teams looking to secure a veteran presence.

Gaudet grabs the lead for @TorontoMarlies.

| 1st – 0:49 | MB 1 – TOR 2 | #MBvsTOR | pic.twitter.com/pPCrCmqGFG

— Zack Power (@FPHMarlies) March 4, 2021

Andrew D’Agostini

Proven a solid backup goalie, D’Agostini proved to the hockey world that the sky is the limit for the 28-year-old last season. Facing trial by fire, D’Agostini published a .890 SVS% and a 3.17 GAA for the Marlies last season.

With injuries and a healthy taxi squad at the Scotiabank Arena, just a video on the 509 Harbourfront streetcar, D’Agostini made a relatively successful AHL debut last season. With minimal coaching, D’Agostini could have no problem entering a backup position on any AHL squad or splitting with another goaltender.

I would be shocked if I didn’t see some team reach out to the Toronto Native with an invitation to camp.

Hudson Elynuik

A player who shined amongst a 2019 Kelly Cup-winning team had big expectations in Ontario’s Captial. Elynuik looked shaky at best, providing the Marlies with a player who looks like an ECHL call-up fresh off the boat.

At only 23, Elynuik can be a decent AHL Centre but needs more time and resources. With a bit of training, he will be able to find his feet amongst a squad, pending that the Calgary native doesn’t try his hand in playing professional hockey in Europe.

Alex Galchenyuk

The price tag is expensive, no doubt about it, but Alex Galchenyuk is one of the best AHL prospects on the market right now, provided he doesn’t book the next Air Canada ticket to Moscow. Galchenyuk danced around the Canadian bubble last year and became one of the best seeing eye players I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Galchenyuk looked as though he should be in the NHL, no questions asked. But maybe it was a pressure thing, but boy can that Milwaukee-born skate. Eyes closed, blindfolded, and spun around backward, Galchenyuk spotted Marlies nearly anywhere on the ice, in turn, potting eight points (two goals, six assists) through six games.

Alex Galchenyuk makes it 3-1. First as a Marlie for Galchenyuk.

| 2nd – 10:13 | LAV 1 – TOR 3 | #LAVvsTOR | pic.twitter.com/uqyGlUSTWp

— Zack Power (@FPHMarlies) March 13, 2021

Justin Brazeau

Call it an even 6-foot-6, Brazeau was the big body presence the Marlies needed. Plucked straight from the North Bay Battalion, Brazeau acted as the bodyguard for the 2019-20 Kelly Cup-winning Growlers. After playing with the Marlies last season, his job became redundant after the signing of Curtis Douglas. Standing three inches taller than Douglas, Brazeau has the potential to be a second or third-line AHL winger.

While the art of a tough, physical playstyle has gone out the window in the past few years, giving Brazeau the opportunity in camp wouldn’t be the worst idea.

At the very least, I wouldn’t be hard-pressed to see the Ontario native in an ECHL uniform.