Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs are risking repeating another mistake by ignoring their top prospects.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had done what fans had been saying was a much needed roster move with injuries by recalling forward Jacob Quillan from the American Hockey League. Quillan, who had been with the Toronto Marlies, was urged by fans to be called up, which eventually injuries allowed for.
Quillan had already suited up for the Leafs, and the move was one more chance for Quillan to step closer into a potential role with the big club and showcase what analysts have been saying is Toronto’s most NHL ready prospect, or so it was thought.
Not that Quillan played poorly is the issue, what is a challenge is Quillan barely played at all. In the Leafs game Sunday vs the Colorado Avalanche, with just 6:15 of ice time for the Toronto forward on the fourth line, and already shelved for veteran Calle Jarnkrok.
Leafs head coach Craig Berube said that the decision to bring Quillan up was to add speed into the forward group against Colorado. Going up against a young team in Buffalo tomorrow, Berube gears up with a more veteran lineup.
The move hasn’t made Leafs fans happy, with concerns over a lack of playing time for Quillan, who has been proving himselfwith Toronto so far in the NHL and AHL, but it’s a series of recent ignoring of top prospects becoming a repeated pattern, with some of their overlooked moves starting to look like a mistake.
Toronto Maple Leafs concerning fans with letting top prospects walk
A quiet concern that has been brewing in regards to the Toronto Maple Leafs is a disinterest in playing their prospects. Under Berube, the Leafs have been geared towards being a more veteran team.
One of the oldest and biggest teams, there is little space for youth in the lineup and youngsters have been a misfit with the style of hockey Berube has brought into the system.
Quillan isn’t the only youngster currently in the system not getting his chance. It took two injuries in net for Dennis Hildeby to get a shot, and despite positive numbers, was immediately sent down for Anthony Stolarz without even a conditioning loan. William Villeneuve has been in the AHL in his fourth season without an NHL game played.
Rookie Easton Cowan was not supposed to make the Leafs roster until injuries forced him into the lineup and he hasn’t looked back. Nick Robertson, despite the analytics favoring him, was never taken seriously as a full-time option until this season, now paying off with proper playing time.
Even more of a question mark isn’t the players who have fought their way into the system, it’s the players who were seldom given a chance. Fraser Minten was dealt to the Boston Bruins for Brandon Carlo after struggling to get into the Leafs lineup, the 21-year-old has 13 goals and 25 points with Boston.
Alex Steeves, who toiled in the Leafs system despite breaking records in the AHL, signed with Boston as a free agent and has become a regular in the Bruins lineup with 14 points in 35 points this season. With the Leafs needing help with bottom-six offense, they let two potential options go without a proper chance.
Other players such as Nikita Grebenkin were traded to bring in win-now offense, but Scott Laughton, who Toronto acquired for Grebenkin, both have the same amount of points so far this season (10).
The Toronto Maple Leafs under Craig Berube have shown that prospect development and bringing youngsters into the lineup are not a priority, but a pattern of missteps has shown it may be a mistake to disregard the farm in building a successful lineup.
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