Which Toronto Marlies will become Maple Leafs?

The Toronto Marlies are the 2018 Calder Cup champions. That is a great accomplishment, especially for players that will be Toronto Maple Leafs next season.

It has finally happened. A professional men’s hockey team that plays in Toronto has won a championship. Of course, most fans would prefer it to be the Stanley Cup, but the Toronto Marlies have won the 2018 Calder Cup. It’s a great next step for the development of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospects.

One of the keys to having a successful NHL organization is to have organizational depth. Not just depth on the NHL team, but in the AHL as well. Where once the Maple Leafs floundered, this has become one of the best in the entire NHL. They even have some pretty good prospects playing in the ECHL because the Marlies have so much depth as well.

Some of those ECHL players could move up to the Marlies because at least three players will be moving up to the Maple Leafs. These players will now be bringing championship experience to the team. That they know what it takes to make it through a tough playoffs is a big plus.

So who are these players? Let’s take a look.

Forwards

Let’s get two players out of the way. Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen are going to be Maple Leafs next season. Johnsson played 15 games for the Leafs between the regular season and playoffs, scoring three goals and a total of five points. He had 10 goals and 24 points in 16 playoff games after coming back from the Leafs. He has become one of the Leafs’ top prospects, which is great for the Leafs considering he was a seventh-round pick.

Kapanen played 38 games with the Leafs and then went on to represent Finland at the World Championships rather than rejoining the Marlies. Both players have proven that they shouldn’t be wearing a Marlies jersey ever again.

Those two could earn spots higher up in the Leafs lineup. Either player could even be a candidate to take James van Riesmdyk’s spot on the second line. However, there could be more spots that other players could earn.

Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Moore are wingers that could compete for a spot on the fourth line. Grundstrom was a second-rounder in 2016 and looks to be a pretty good pick so far. He has spent the past two seasons in Sweden, playing for Frolunda in the SHL. He had 44 points in two seasons with Frolunda and was a standout at last year’s World Juniors.

He joined the Marlies in time for their Calder Cup run and he didn’t disappoint. In 20 games, he had eight goals and 14 points. If he isn’t with the Leafs next year, look for him to take another step forward with the Marlies.

Moore is a player that has had to take the hard way to get where he is today. Spending three seasons with the University of Denver before joining the Marlies after the Maple Leafs signed as a free agent. He has consecutive 33-point seasons with the team and had six goals and 17 points in the playoffs. The work ethic that got him to the Marlies could propel him to a fourth-line spot on the Leafs.

Another spot that will be open for competition is the fourth-line center spot. After Dominic Moore and Tomas Plekanec didn’t exactly work out, they will probably not be brought back. Miro Aaltonen was competing for that spot to begin the season and could very well hold an inside track on winning the spot for this season.

It’s no coincidence that three players mentioned here comprise the Marlies first line: Johnsson, Aaltonen and Grundstrom. They could very well form a very energetic fourth line for the Leafs.