What's So Unusual About the Toronto Marlies' Roster?
The Toronto Marlies roster caught my eye because, at first glance, it looks like the usual AHL development team. Lots of prospects. Lots of guys trying to prove they belong. A few names everybody knows. A few names you have to look up.
But look a little closer and something interesting shows up.
This isn't really a kids' team. It’s loaded with experience.
This roster has a surprising amount of professional experience. The Marlies have young players who need to develop, but they've also got players who have been through the AHL wars. That's important because development doesn't happen in a vacuum. A 20-year-old prospect probably learns a lot more when he isn't expected to carry an entire line every night.
The Marlies have enough forwards to move people around, try different combinations and, most importantly, give different prospects different jobs. That's where this roster gets intriguing.
The Marlies have 22 forwards listed, which is a lot of bodies. It creates competition, but it also gives the organization some flexibility. What if somebody gets hurt in Toronto? Or if somebody isn't producing? There are options.
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The Marlies defence is a different story.
There are 12 defencemen, and that group looks a little less settled. Toronto has some experienced AHL players there, but it also has younger players who really need minutes. That's always the balancing act with a farm team. You want enough veterans to keep the operation from falling apart, but you don't want your prospects spending three nights a week watching somebody else play.
And then there's the goaltending. There are five goalies, which is something you don't see every day. Obviously, five doesn't mean Toronto intends to give five guys a regular AHL job. Some of that is organizational insurance, and the NHL situation can change quickly. But it tells you the crease is something worth watching as the season develops.
The big picture is that the Marlies are loaded to help the Maple Leafs now.
The bigger picture is that the Marlies don't look like an organization simply throwing a bunch of prospects into the deep end and hoping somebody swims. This is a development team with a surprisingly large number of players who could be called upon if injuries hit Toronto.
They look more like potential competition. That's probably the most interesting thing about the roster. Young players are trying to climb the ladder, experienced players are trying to stay on it, and a whole bunch of guys are somewhere in between. And development is still the point. In fact, having experienced players around the prospects could make this a pretty good environment for it.
The Marlies could be useful to the Maple Leafs in more ways than one.
Toronto hasn't abandoned development. It has built a Marlies roster where development and NHL readiness can happen at the same time. The Marlies don't need to win every night to make this season useful. What Toronto really needs to find out is which of these players can handle more responsibility when the opportunity arrives. There are plenty of candidates. Now let's see who grabs the opportunity.