{"id":850732,"date":"2026-08-08T15:04:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/850732\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:04:24","slug":"5-non-prospect-marlies-who-could-push-for-nhl-work-in-2026-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/850732\/","title":{"rendered":"5 non-prospect Marlies who could push for NHL work in 2026-27"},"content":{"rendered":"

Injuries. They are going to happen. Probably at the worst time and to the player the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> need the most. Call me pessimistic, but 2025-26\u2019s disappearances of Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev, and Anthony Stolarz should have the team planning out their contingencies in advance.Enter the AHL veterans. Not quite \u201cprospects\u201d like TLN is currently counting down<\/a>, but some players who want to get a fair look in the NHL and prove they belong. It\u2019s not the Vinni Lettieri, Michael Pezzetta and Dakota Mermis crowd; it\u2019s the group that, in a perfect world, could be the Bobby McMann late-blooming breakouts, if they only got a chance.Marshall Rifai<\/p>\n

Rifai is a coach\u2019s comfort food, and that might be what opens doors for him on the Maple Leafs. His style of play is built for a sheltered bottom pairing or shot blocking on a penalty kill, and if Emil Andrae is too risky or too many injuries hit the Maple Leafs, he might be worth a look.<\/p>\n

Rifai\u2019s injuries held him back from getting into more games with the Maple Leafs, and there are no guarantees that John Chayka shares Brad Treliving\u2019s enthusiasm about Rifai. Marshall is one of the top left-side options the Leafs have to call on, though.<\/p>\n

William Villeneuve<\/p>\n

Villeneuve is about addressing a specific need. He can provide offence from the point in a sheltered capacity. He\u2019s demonstrated in the AHL playoffs and during his stint on the Leafs that keeping up defensively is a challenge.<\/p>\n

He can skate. He does have a point shot. If he has a reliable partner and he\u2019s trotted out in situations tailored for him, he can be an effective call-up if the Maple Leafs lose some puck-moving options to injuries.<\/p>\n

While the TLN definition of prospect didn\u2019t include Villeneuve, the Maple Leafs organization likely views him as a work in progress. He\u2019ll get a chance to build on his shortcomings, and some of that might come through NHL exposure.<\/p>\n

Brandon Buhr<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting to write about Buhr as a non-prospect since he\u2019s just been pulled out of the NCAA. That said, if the definition we used were \u201cfeels like a prospect,\u201d our rankings would have been all over the place.<\/p>\n

Buhr was finding the back of the net for Union College over the past couple of seasons. He was a point-per-game player for them last season and picked up a couple of assists in his five-game trial run for the Marlies. He\u2019s got some size to him and could contribute well on the Marlies. It\u2019s his size and willingness to finish his checks that could see doors open for him.<\/p>\n

As a Leafs call-up, I\u2019d say he\u2019s more of a late-season, \u201csee what we\u2019ve got\u201d option if 2026-27 goes sideways for Toronto. John Chayka\u2019s tendencies for recalls might differ from Brad Treliving\u2019s, even if the roster construction favours veterans.<\/p>\n

In reality, Buhr is a lot like other likely \u201cstart to finish\u201d Marlies. He\u2019s near the prospect age range like Ryan Tverberg, Cade Webber, Samuel Hlavaj, Henrik Rybinski, and Cole McWard. It\u2019s just that Buhr, as a rookie, is a bit more of a wildcard than the AHL veterans.<\/p>\n

Jacob Quillan<\/p>\n

For most of last season, Jacob Quillan was a mystery box that just needed to get a look on the Maple Leafs to determine what he was. Down the stretch, it became apparent that in his current state, he brings speed and hustle to a fourth-line role.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s fine if that\u2019s what Quillan is. There is some hope that after getting a taste of the NHL, Quillan has spent the summer training on what he needs to do to close the gaps to becoming an everyday NHLer. That would be nice, but if he\u2019s a solid bubble player that can help out with centre depth, the Leafs can still use him.<\/p>\n

Bo Groulx<\/p>\n

For one brief moment, it looked like Bo Groulx could be a great bottom six option for the Maple Leafs. He was having a Boyd Devereaux moment to close out the end of the season. His success and injuries opened up opportunities higher up in the lineup, and it became clear that the Leafs were flying too close to the sun with their solid AHLer. The impact on Groulx\u2019s numbers drove his xGF% and CF% down to around the 30% level. That isn\u2019t going to sit well with a numbers guy like Chayka, whether you agree with that or not.<\/p>\n

Groulx remains one of, if not the best, forward call-up option. There\u2019s good reason to see what he brings to training camp, and whether there is much difference from what players like Steven Lorentz, Teddy Blueger, and Colton Sissons bring to the table.<\/p>\n

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