Maple Leafs defenceman receives a one-game suspension after an AHL incident



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Sep 25, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Marshall Rifai (83) plays the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Marshall Rifai is sitting out Saturday’s game for the Toronto Marlies as he was given more punishment for his role in a fight Friday.

The Marlies are going to be one defender short of their regular lineup on Saturday night as defenceman Marshall Rifai received a one-game suspension for his actions during a fight in a game between Toronto and Springfield:

Rifai misses Toronto’s game against Hartford on Saturday, and what led to the suspension was that Rifai got into a fight with Springfield’s Simon Robertsson and not only got five for fighting, but a ten-minute misconduct for being an aggressor.

Marshall Rifai deserves one-game ban for egregious actions vs. Springfield

That doesn’t mean he started the fight but according to the rules, was due to Rifai being deemed an ‘aggressor’ which means he continued to lay in shots to a defenceless opponent or even after the fight was over.

For the AHL that was a big no-no, and the league decided that in addition to the in-game penalties, he deserved a one-game ban; which is their discretion per their 2025-26 rulebook.Granted, while we cannot show you the footage (click the link for video of the fight) it’s a deserved punishment. While there was a scrap in front of the net, Rifai was seen laying in heavy shots to Robertsson who couldn’t get his hands up.

It was fairly scary and in terms of punishment it seems rightly deserved especially given how important concussion treatment and awareness is.

It’s not the first time that Rifai has been involved in heated scraps, as he was involved in two memorable preseason tilts are part of the Maple Leafs roster, but this latest one seemed a bit unjustified given the situation.

Toronto lost the game 4-3 in OT.

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Maple Leafs defenceman receives a one-game suspension after an AHL incident

Did Marshall Rifai deserve a one-game suspension?