How the Marlies’ Calder Cup playoff run is shaping the future Leafs core

It’s 25 degrees and banners for the upcoming FIFA World Cup are sprouting up through Liberty Village, but it’s Hockey Night in Toronto throughout this first week of June, amid ample evidence that summer is underway. And while the Maple Leafs’ fan base grew irate with an executive regime that largely priced them out of the corporate-laden Scotiabank Arena, this is where the true sickos are. There is a dedicated supporters’ section singing “WHAT DID THEY PAY YOU?” on every questionable infraction called against the Marlies. You’ll see jerseys of Leafs from yesteryear, a true avenue to Remember Some Guys, while getting a real look at the next wave of Leafs’ prospects.

After winning the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, Toronto’s once-bleak future will now be centred around Gavin McKenna (presumptively, as the favourite to go first overall) Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan as the core under-25 pieces, while Auston Matthews and William Nylander are in the latter end of their primes. Throughout the lower bowl of the Coca-Cola Coliseum, there’s a message adorned in blue embossed over the white paint: Developing Leafs since 1927. During the Marlies’ playoff run against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals, we’re seeing the next wave of the Leafs’ core take major steps.

REF YOU SUCK (arena-wide) drowning out the WHAT DID THEY PAY YOU section (I’d love to meet those guys)

Goaltending depth is the one area of strength within the Leafs’ prospect pool, and they have two NHL-ready goalies ready to augment the existing pool. This would be already evident, if now-fired head coach Craig Berube realized what he had from the outset in Artur Akhtyamov and Dennis Hildeby. Hildeby started 18 games for the Maple Leafs, and you could make an outside case that he was the team’s best goaltender, relative to expectations, last season, a development that is all the more impressive when you consider that the Maple Leafs elected to place Cayden Primeau on the opening night roster, an ill-fated move that backfired immediately. Akhtyamov largely spent the year in the AHL, and he was essentially thrust into relief duty during his first three NHL appearances.

We’re firmly reminded that isn’t quite the NHL, and Akhtyamov has emerged as the star of the show. It’s a choppy affair on Monday night, where transition defence is optional. Akhtyamov makes 29 saves on 33 shots in a 5-3 losing effort, but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the quality of his start. He’s tracking pucks well, he makes a ton of high-danger saves due to his athleticism, and draft-year concerns about his size appear to be moot at this juncture. Currently listed as the No. 4 on the Maple Leafs’ depth chart, it’s becoming easier to envision a future in which Hildeby and Akhtyamov supplant Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz seamlessly, in short order.

“We’re so blessed here with the goaltending we have,” Marlies defenceman Dakota Mermis said after Game 3. “Him and Dennis (Hildeby) are outstanding. They’re not talking about Dennis enough right now, he’s so good for us, too. Artie is so quick in there, he reads the play so well. He gives us every opportunity to win every game.”

Through the opening 10 minutes and change, Easton Cowan’s processing speed and change of pace stands out. Cowan is making smart entries, gliding with the puck in the offensive zone, creating good looks, burning defenders with relative ease. Nice to see after he missed two games.

Cowan is perhaps situated uniquely among the Marlies. He was the positive surprise of an otherwise bleak Maple Leafs season, recording 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games, while boasting a plus-five differential at 5-on-5 in his rookie year. Cowan is clearly the most talented skater on the Marlies, with the capacity to take over games, which is certainly true in Game 4. Throughout the game, Cowan’s processing speed and change of pace sets him apart, while delivering inviting cross-seam passes to defenders pinching with ease. It seems like he can control virtually every shift. And then, disaster strikes.

With fewer than three minutes remaining in a tied game, Cowan tosses the puck up the middle of the ice, where Rutger McGroarty intercepts it and scores the game-winning goal. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ties the series at two games apiece, and Cowan is crushed, while taking accountability for the loss.

“Unfortunately, I cost my team the game, and obviously you don’t want to do that. I got to make a better play, so I can’t do anything about it now. I got to move on, be better, and I will be.”

Ben Danford is the Maple Leafs’ best defensive prospect, and there are plenty of eyes on the 2024 first-round pick. Danford is known as a stay-at-home defenceman with excellent gap control, while displaying a propensity for massive, open-ice hits. After finishing his final OHL campaign, there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding Danford, given that he’s on the verge of a full-time NHL roster spot, without generating offence.

It appears that Danford is intent on changing his reputation. Danford’s maturity with the puck, skating and ability to find easy exits are among his best qualities, but he’s also finding ways to get into the rush without hurting his team. During Wednesday’s Game 4, Danford wires a wrister off the post, and there’s a rising premonition that his first AHL goal is on the horizon.

“He is not jumping when he is not supposed to,” Gruden said of Danford, following Wednesday’s Game 4. “He is jumping because he is gapping up offensively and defensively and is seeing holes when we have full possession. If we don’t, he backs up. He doesn’t get caught.I haven’t noticed one time when he got caught and got stuck in the offensive zone. He does a really good job of reading the situation, identifying it, and then we don’t lose him as a back-checker.

“It is good for him, as a young defenseman, to be able to jump into those situations and be a threat offensively without getting caught defensively.”

Danford continues his excellent performance into Game 5. He’s controlling the game by surfing, and then finding his spots when to attack. During the second period, it appears that Danford recorded his first goal of the playoffs, but Landon Sim expertly gets a deflection on the Marlies’ first goal of the contest. Toronto cruises to a 5-1 victory and while Danford isn’t expected to be a major offensive contributor in the NHL, he’s also showing a renewed commitment to attacking, when the game allows for it.

Danford’s skating is very impressive

Ben Danford just hit the post on a wrister with some velocity. Danford is quietly getting into the rush more often.

Game 5 also provides real redemption for Cowan, a player that was often defined by his hyper-competitiveness, amid an otherwise lost Leafs season. Cowan is once again the Marlies’ best skater and this time around, he scores a highlight-reel goal, waltzing past Penguins defenceman Chase Pietila, before beating Sergei Murashov through the five-hole. It’s a spectacular goal, and the Coca-Cola Coliseum gives Cowan a standing ovation. It’s the exact type of moment that could serve as an inflection point for the rising star.

YEEEEEHAWWWWWW 🤠

Easton Cowan scores to give us the 3-1 lead!

“That’s what big-time players do. He’s a gamer,” Marlies head coach John Gruden said of Cowan, post-game. “It’s not always going to go your way. That’s part of hockey. The way he bounced back and started to make little plays. Good for him. Goal scorers are confident, and when it goes in, you get a little more confidence.”

Big-time players make big-time plays, and the Marlies’ run throughout the Calder Cup playoffs is proof that the Maple Leafs may have a promising future ahead. A once-barren prospect pool is developing in real-time, as Cowan, Akhtyamov, Hildeby and Danford will all shape the future of the Maple Leafs, perhaps faster than we all imagined entering this spring.

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