Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Toronto’s Other Team Is Coming

Something interesting is happening under the Toronto Maple Leafs right now. The big club is getting closer to its opening-night roster, and Thursday brought another batch of cuts. Eight players were placed on waivers, and all eight cleared. That means Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Steven Lorentz, Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski, Ryan Tverberg, Philippe Myers and Marshall Rifai are all headed to the Toronto Marlies.

That is the obvious news. But another story may be hiding underneath it. The Maple Leafs might have put together one heck of a Marlies team.

All Eight Maple Leafs Clear Waivers

Let’s start with the business of the day. Eight players cleared waivers and can be assigned to the Marlies, giving Toronto an impressive mix of NHL experience and organizational depth. Lorentz is the obvious name because he played 71 games for the team last season and carries a $1.35 million cap hit through 2027-28.

But he isn’t alone. Lettieri was a major part of last season’s Calder Cup championship team. Brisson is a 2020 first-round pick. Tverberg has been pushing toward the NHL. Myers has NHL experience on defence, while Pezzetta, Rybinski and Rifai bring different kinds of depth.

And here’s the important part: the Maple Leafs haven’t necessarily given up on these players. They’re players who didn’t make the NHL roster right now. That could be important because the Maple Leafs still have a long season ahead of them. Injuries are coming. Slumps are coming. Players will be moved around. Somebody will eventually need to be called up.

And when that happens, Toronto now has a pretty interesting group sitting in the building next door.

The Marlies Could Be Really Good Again

This is where things get interesting for me. Last season’s Marlies didn’t just have a good season. They won the Calder Cup. And now Toronto is sending another batch of NHL-calibre players into that organization. Ten more players were also assigned directly to the Marlies, including goaltenders Artur Akhtyamov, Ken Appleby, Samuel Hlavaj, Luke Haymes, Miroslav Holinka, Noah Chadwick, Ben Danford, Jacob Quillan, Blake Smith, and Landon Sim.

Then there is Lettieri. He was terrific for the Marlies last season, putting up 14 goals and 42 points in 55 regular-season games before adding 11 goals and 26 points in 23 playoff games. He was a big part of the Calder Cup run. And this is where the Marlies can become more than just a holding area for prospects.

Long-time Maple Leafs fans remember Rich Clune. He was the kind of veteran who could help young players understand what professional hockey was actually about. Show up. Work. Learn how to prepare. Learn how to handle a bad game. Learn how to handle a good one.

Lettieri strikes me as that kind of player. He may not spend his entire career in the NHL. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have a very good hockey career. A player can make a pretty nice living playing professional hockey, and there is something to be said for becoming a respected veteran who helps the next generation figure out the business.

That may be Lettieri’s road. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The Maple Leafs may have a very interesting NHL season ahead of them. But underneath it could be a Marlies team with veterans, prospects, high draft picks, and players still knocking on the NHL door. That’s both a useful insurance policy and an entertaining American Hockey League (AHL) team to watch.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Maple Leafs are getting very close to the roster they will take into the regular season. The eight players who cleared waivers give Toronto some flexibility, and there is still the possibility of more movement before opening night against the Montreal Canadiens.

The interesting part is that the Marlies aren’t simply becoming a place where the Maple Leafs park players they don’t want. They could become one of the most important parts of the organization. That’s especially true if Toronto has young players who need time to learn professional hockey rather than being thrown into the NHL before they’re ready.

And that’s where guys like Lettieri matter. The Maple Leafs are building for the NHL. But they may also be building something pretty good in the AHL. And after watching what the Marlies did last season, nobody in Toronto should be treating that as an afterthought.