Staying In Canada

It isn't often that I celebrate anything Toronto, but I have to give them a nod tonight as the Toronto Marlies won their second Calder Cup and Canada's tenth championship as the AHL's best team. It took them five games to win over a very good Chicago Wolves team who seeking their fourth Calder Cup since joining the league after their IHL history, but the Marlies never seemed to be in jeopardy in this final after building a 3-0 series lead that included winning both games in Rosemont, Illinois. There's no telling how many of these players will be Toronto Maple Leafs, but the Marlies are, once again, Toronto's best hockey team in terms of placement in their league.

With the Abbotsford Canucks winning last year, the Calder Cup will remain in Canada for a second season. The last time that Canadian teams won back-to-back Calder Cup was when the Nova Scotia Voyageurs won in 1976-77 and did it again in 1977-78. Toronto last won the AHL championship in 2017-18 when Sheldon Keefe was running the bench and Kyle Dubas was managing the team, and a handful of those players eventually landed in the NHL. Of course, it takes a solid team playing good hockey to win the Calder Cup, and the Marlies pulled everything together at the right time.

This was a team that wasn't expected to be standing atop the mountain at the end of the AHL season after finishing in fourth-place in the AHL's North Division behind Laval, Syracuse, and Cleveland. They needed all three games to eliminate the Rochester Americans in the opening round, and all five games to eliminate Laval in the second round, winning two of three games in Laval. Cleveland was merely a bump in the road for Toronto as they needed just five games to eliminate the Monsters, and they defeated the WBS Penguins in six games to reach the final. Cinderella, figuratively, made the ball.

In all but the series against Laval did Toronto win the first game, putting their opponents in catch-up mode immediately. Toronto was 8-0 in games where they scored five-or-more goals, and they won elimination games by one goal in four of five series. They went 3-1 in overtime, losing their only OT game in Game Four of the final, and they were 7-2 overall in one-goal games. For a team that seemed like underdogs in ever series, they showed the hearts of champions!

Good teams usually see good players rewarded with better contracts, and there are a number of Marlies players who probably deserve more than a cup of coffee at the NHL level. Will this year's victory for the Marlies see the Leafs take a longer look at some of the players that helped their AHL affiliate win? Maybe, but maybe not.

Leading playoff scorer Vinni Lettieri was on a one-year deal, and the 31 year-old will head back to free agency if the Leafs don't re-sign him. He was waived in September by the Leafs for the purpose of playing in the AHL, and he had a solid season with 41 points in 55 games. He turned it up a notch or two in the playoffs with another 26 points in 23 games, but will the Leafs take a look at a 31 year-old centerman for their third- or fourth-line? I can't see that happening.

24 year-old William Villeneuve had an incredible playoffs this season, notching 23 points in 24 games after a solid campaign where he led the Marlies' blue line in scoring with 30 points in 61 games. However, the addition of Darren Raddysh combined with the Leafs already having five players under NHL contracts for this season makes Villeneuve's chances of cracking the roster harder. He's a restricted free agent, and there may be teams who take a look at him.

Easton Cowan had a solid playoff run with 18 points in 22 games, but the rumours of him going elsewhere simply won't go away. Cowan had a solid campaign with the Maple Leafs with 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games, but he'll be limited in his opportunities with the Maple Leafs as he plays behind a number of talented players. Cowan likely wants a shot at finding a home in a top-six situation, and it might serve the 21 year-old well to embrace that if he's on the depth chart behind Knies, Domi, and Joshua. Expect teams to ask about him.

This is the difficulty with putting together an AHL team that can win year after year: players are always seeking better opportunities. Perhaps there's a chance that the Leafs bring all three players back, keep playoff MVP goalie Artur Akhtyamov in the AHL, and acquire enough depth to make another run at a Calder Cup next season, but it's a tough ask for any player to stay a step below the NHL. The Hershey Bears went back-to-back in 2022-23 and 2023-24, but hardly saw any players leave or be promoted to the Washington Capitals.

Since 1990, there have been three repeat champions - the Springfield Indians and the Hershey Bears twice. It would seem like the deck is stacked against Toronto repeating their success, and we know that all of Abbotsford, Belleville, Calgary, Hamilton, and Manitoba have NHL teams that either on the verge of a rebuild or in the process of rebuilding. In short, it may come down to Toronto and Laval as Canada's best hope for a third-consecutive Calder Cup championship.

For now, though, the Toronto Marlies can enjoy the summer as champions before free agency opens. Some players will look for deserved NHL contracts and opportunities, some will leave for other AHL teams, and a handful may seek opposrtunities in other leagues. At the end of the day, though, the city of Toronto will have a championship parade for one of its professional hockey teams. It just won't be the one team that desperately needs a championship. Again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!