TORONTO – The Toronto Marlies have one of the best rosters in the AHL right now. But, with great power comes great responsibility. Salary cap realities are starting to come to fruition, and with critical names yo-yoing between leagues, fans were starting to wonder who would be shipped down to the Marlies from the Maple Leafs.
Toronto is looking to move a player via trade or internally for the return of Zach Hyman, who’s been out all season with a torn ACL. When Hyman returns, the Maple Leafs will be forced to send down three or four players to the AHL in order to be cap compliant. Toronto has a 23-man roster, plus Hyman. In theory, if they sent down three players, it would leave them with a spare on defense or offense. If they sent down four, which seems unlikely, it would give them the typical twelve forwards, six defenseman, and two goaltenders. Sending down four players would give them extra cap room, which could be useful in the future.
The trigger was pulled on Friday at noon EST, with Toronto sending two players to the Marlies. The Leafs sent down defenseman Martin Marincin and winger Nic Petan to the AHL. Petan has been all around the block in the past few days. He was sent down to the AHL last weekend, where he scored two goals and three assists over his two-game stint. He was then recalled ahead of Tuesday’s game against Los Angles and recorded two shots. Petan swiped his air miles card again on Thursday when he was sent back to the AHL. In contrast, Marincin packed his bags for the AHL for the first time this season. He played eight games for the Marlies last year and scored four points.
Initially, the Marlies recalled Aaron Luchuk and Giorgio Estephan from the Growlers to replace Petan. These two players will act as a safety net for the Marlies, as they still have a few games left on the road.
With these extra faces in the AHL, Newfoundland could be seeing new faces in the coming days.
WAIT…WHAT ABOUT THE THIRD MAN?
Nothing has been confirmed yet with the next transaction. As time moves ahead, more rumors have begun to swirl around the Maple Leafs offense. With only six players left on defense, Toronto will most likely pick another player or two in the offensive category.
OTHER WEEKLY NOTABLES
Forward Zach O’Brien has also bounced up and down from the AHL-ECHL to start. The Marlies sent him down to the ECHL on Monday after spending less than two weeks with the parent club. O’Brien was initially shipped to the Marlies on October 19 and played against the Monsters that very weekend. The Newfoundland native spoke to the media on November 7 after returning to his hometown team.
◼️PRACTICE REPORT◼️
Chris Ballard checks in with Head Coach John Snowden, new Growlers Goaltender Angus Redmond and Zach O'Brien as the squad prepares to take on the Atlanta Gladiators this weekend at Mile One Centre.
Tickets–> https://t.co/ONm5lV4OOd#StandOnGuard pic.twitter.com/BGv4zS4LV5
— Newfoundland Growlers (@NLGrowlers) November 7, 2019
Toronto also lost Wednesday’s tilt against Rockford. The IceHogs have been under-performing this season and lack in special teams. Toronto went 0-for-5 on the power play, and also gave up six penalties. Rockford’s penalty kill sits at 26th in the league, while Toronto’s power play tops at 5th. On an interesting note, Rasmus Sandin was held as a healthy scratch ahead of Wednesday’s game against Rockford. Sandin is a point per game defenseman and has arguably been one of the best d-men in the league.
Todd Crocker confirms Rasmus Sandin isn't hurt.
— Mark (@MarkUkLeaf) November 6, 2019
The Sin Bin will have coverage of the roster moves on our @SinBinMarlies Twitter Page
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☝?#Movember #HockeyFightsCancer pic.twitter.com/Jd9udIj68i— Kasimir Kaskisuo (@Kaskisuo) November 2, 2019
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