On Thursday night while the Maple Leafs try to slay the dragon that is the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Marlies will be embarking on that same mission just down the street at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
It’s been 1432 days since Toronto last step foot in a Calder Cup Playoff game. Two pandemic seasons and a missed opportunity last year were the reasons for such a long layover.
Not a single player from Toronto’s 2019 playoff roster is on this team, though the Marlies are still riddled with veterans. Logan Shaw, Kyle Clifford, Joseph Blandisi, Jordie Benn, Carl Dahlstrom, and Radim Zohorna each have experience in the AHL or NHL postseason, which’ll help a younger team.
Clifford, as we all know, has won two Stanley Cups to his name, Zohorna has won two championships in the Czech Extraliga, and Pontus Holmberg was the SHL Playoff MVP back in 2021 with the Växjö Lakers when they won the SHL Championship.
Although the Marlies aren’t full of players who’ve experienced AHL playoff hockey, they are filled with players that kn …

Read More

Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation