Prospects trying to find balance between Maple Leafs and Marlies

TORONTO - Jake Gardiner understands the benefits of the shuttle between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Marlies.

During the 2011-12 season, after 75 NHL games, the blue liner was dispatched to the American Hockey League club for what was a lengthy playoff run. Gardiner appeared in 17 playoff games as the Norfolk Admirals swept the Marlies in the Calder Cup final.

Gardiner scored two goals and nine assists during the playoff run, which he called great preparation for the next level.

“It's good to get that playoff experience and kind of get a feel for what it's like to play in those situations,” the 25-year-old told Yahoo Canada Sports. “Everyone's game kind of elevates that time of the year so it's a really fun time.”

Nineteen players, available to the Marlies for the Calder Cup playoffs this spring, spent sometime with the Leafs this season providing an excellent learning opportunity.

William Nylander, Zach Hyman and Connor Brown along with goaltender Garret Sparks are amongst those now with the Marlies who got a taste of the NHL game this season.

“I think it helps these guys playing (the) last 20 games or so (in the NHL),” Gardiner said. “Obviously it's a different league, and there's a lot of really good players up here so it's good for them to learn up here and bring that back to the AHL and hopefully do really well in the playoffs.”

One of the tasks for the Leafs brass this season was finding a balance between keeping the Marlies competitive and giving young players an opportunity to get a taste of the NHL game.

Following the NHL trade deadline, the Leafs recalled Nylander, Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, Nikita Soshnikov and Ben Smith. The recalls coincided with the worst slide of the Marlies season.

The AHL club went on to lose six of their next eight games.

Leafs coach Mike Babcock believes it was good for the players’ development for the Marlies to handle the adversity.

“You can't just out-score everybody,” Babcock said. “Playoffs is coming for them. You've got to play well without the puck, compete hard and do all those things. They've been fortunate they've been in a good situation; they're more skilled than anybody in the American Hockey League. In the end, that doesn't win championships. Goaltending, defence, and structure do. They understand that.

“Having a few less guys on board, I don't think hurts them one bit. I actually think it helps.”

Babcock believes the seven players assigned to the Marlies on Sunday along with the 12 others, who saw time with the NHL club, benefit from learning the quickness, focus and attention to detail required to play at the NHL level and headed back to the AHL with added confidence.

“We just deal with what we have,” Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe said of finding a balance. “For us, we don't really control what happens in terms of guys going up or down. We just deal with who we have. Just like how we don't deal with injuries or we don't dictate with what happens there, you just deal with it when it comes.

“I think our players have taken the same approach. The guys that put on the jerseys everyday go out and compete.”

Hyman was one of several players to make their NHL debut this season. The University of Michigan product went on to appear in 16 games with the Leafs scoring four goals and two assists.

The 23-year-old admitted he could get away with a little bit more at the AHL level than he could in the NHL.

“You try not to turn the puck over in any league you play in, but in the NHL, when you turn the puck over, almost every time you're going to look back and have a minus,” he said. “That's how it is. American Hockey League, maybe you can get away with it a little bit more where guys aren't going to make you pay.”

Defenceman T.J. Brennan is amongst the top three in the league in scoring with 24 goals and 67 points in 68 games. This week he was named the winner of the Eddie Shore award as the league’s top blue liner for the second time in three seasons.

The Marlies (52-16-6) have sat atop the AHL standings for much of the year and have earned the top seed in the North Division with 110 points.

Despite the solid regular season success, there’s still unfinished business left for the Marlies.

During his end of season media availability on Sunday, Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello said its time for the Maple Leafs to create a winning culture throughout the organization. That starts with the Marlies and goes through to the Leafs.

The process begins with a successful Calder Cup playoff run from this crop of Marlies.

“That first round is going to be very difficult,” Lamoriello said. “How they sustain that, they can't get too high, they can't get too low. How you recover from things that didn't go right (in a loss) - that's what it's all about. That's what separates winners and that's something that you learn how to do. It doesn't happen overnight.

“You can't just be told to do it, you have to experience it. You don't know what experience is unit you have it. They don't' know what it's like until they experience it.”

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