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Leafs Sign Spencer Abbott, Will Join Marlies

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By on Mar 28th, 2012

If there’s anybody out there other than Don Cherry that believes in the whole “Leafs need players from Ontario” theory, they’re certainly going to take notice today. The Toronto Maple Leafs, the team that has made “free wallets” into a “thing”, picked up another today in Hobey Baker finalist Spencer Abbott. There’s a few things to note about him.

First off, the part referenced in the opening sentences – he’s another Ontario prospect with a chance of eventually making the Leafs roster. Born and raised in Hamilton, to be exact, and perhaps most important to those who care, as a Leafs fan.

If that doesn’t matter to you, what might is his progression. Abbott played out all four years at the University of Maine, steadily improving by the season, up to his current year of 21 goals and 41 assists in just 39 games. This was good for a strong lead among his teammates – 14 points more than Brian Flynn, the man in second place. As if that wasn’t already impressive, Abbott actually lead the entire NCAA Division I system in points.

To go with the production, Abbott grew up a fan of Doug Gilmour and Pavel Datsuyk, and is determined to show himself as a two way forward. I wouldn’t go and say he’d be anything close to either of those two, but it’s something worth mentioning.

The biggest knock on Abbott is his size – as skilled as he is, he’s at best 5’10, and 175 pounds. But muched-hyped trainer and former NHLer Gary Roberts has been working with him, giving hope that he’ll fill out his frame a bit more.

Now, does this mean he’s a sure thing? Far from it. Abbott is nearly 24 years old, so there may not be a ton left to his development. As well, we all know that these kind of signings tend to be hit or miss – for every Tyler Bozak, there’s multiple Brayden Irwin’s and Tyler Brenner’s. So I wouldn’t go parading this as a game-changer any time soon. That said – adding prospects for nothing is never a bad thing, and it’ll be interesting to see what he becomes.

On that note, it may not be long until the organization will get a glimpse. Abbott will likely be assigned to the Marlies, and due to his age and experience, may leapfrog Broll and Olden in the list of players to play. At worst, it wouldn’t be a surprise in the slightest to see him as a roster regular on the Marlies next year.

UPDATE: Abbott will indeed report to the Marlies on an ATO for the rest of the season, with a 1 year contract to be used next season.

Oh, by the way..

A goaltending swap has occured. Jussi Rynnas, after actually playing some of yesterday’s game and doing well, has been sent back down to the Marlies, with Ben Scrivens joining the Leafs. I guess the thought is that they don’t trust Gustavsson between the pipes, yet at the same time don’t think Rynnas can replicate his last game. Or they felt like giving Scrivens a practice and Reimer will be back tomorrow. Honestly, the Leafs approach to this emergency call up stuff has me forever confused at this point, and it’s not even worth speculating. Point is, Big Ben is with the big club, and the Juice is back. Mark Owuya is still in Reading while this all goes on.

Jussi Rynnas Called Up, Kenny Ryan Sent Down

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By on Mar 27th, 2012

According to the AHL Transactions List, the Toronto Marlies made a pair of transactions today, sending forward Kenny Ryan to the Reading Royals, and goaltender Jussi Rynnas to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There really isn’t as much to this as you may think. In the case of Rynnas, it’s an emergency recall. This means that James Reimer or Jonas Gustavsson is either sick or injured. That said, look at the choice. No offence to Jussi, but between him and Ben Scrivens, he’s not the call up choice you make for the sake of actually playing games. Scrivens has been an elite AHL goalie in recent games, whereas Rynnas has been grinding it out with decent play. What do I believe this is? Considering we’re hours from game time, one of the Leafs goaltenders is probably feeling sick, leading to Rynnas backing him whoever starts today.

The theory assumes Rynnas gets the call for the one game, not expected to play, to give him a bit of NHL salary as a “thank you”. Kind of like Tim Brent’s single game in the 09/10 season. If they were looking for a goaltender to actually play, Scrivens would get the nod. Cementing this theory, Mark Owuya wasn’t added to the Marlies lineup, meaning the team likely doesn’t see this lasting until even their next practice.

So far this year, Rynnas has played 19 games for the Marlies and 14 games for the Roading Royals. His time in Reading was saw him post an 8-5-1 record, with a 0.914 save percentage and 3.21 GAA. The time spent in the ECHL was part of a conditioning stint after recovering from a concussion. On the Marlies, he has a 9-8-1 record, with 3 shutouts, a 0.911 save percentage, and 2.48 GAA.

As for Kenny Ryan, the Marlies are full of fowards at this point. Everybody is healthy, Ryan Hamilton and Nazem Kadri are back from the Leafs, and the junior kids (David Broll and Sondre Olden) can play the role of healthy scratches. Ryan would be best suited to getting more play time in the ECHL. In 16 games with the Marlies this year, Ryan has 1 goal, a far cry from his 12 goals and 9 assists in 29 games with the Royals.

So, About The Playoffs…

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By on Mar 26th, 2012

While it’s premature in the most technical sense to start talking about the Toronto Marlies being in the playoffs, especially if game’s like yesterday become a “thing” in the final stretch, the reality is that the team is leading the division by eight points with their closest competition (Rochester) having no more than ten games to catch it up. A few losses over the course of the week for the teams below them, and the Marlies will probably be one of the first teams in the league post-Norfolk with an X attached to their name in the standings. This train of thought has lead to a lot of questions from people, that this article will attempt to answer some of the ones I’ve seen the most. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to the article.

How much will playoff tickets cost?

This is a frequent one, because many are used to the days of Leafs tickets going up a significant amount come playoff time. On that note, I’m actually mortified about thinking of how much playoff tickets will cost when the Leafs next make the playoffs. In the mean time, this question is about the Marlies, and at the end of the day – I wouldn’t hold my breath on any price changes. For those out of the loop on current ticket prices – they start as low as $10 for the back rows of sections 114-116 if you buy in advance, and go to $43 for platinums on game day. Specifics can be found here, and I really doubt this changes come playoff time.

How hard will it be to get playoff tickets?

If the city is like most AHL markets, the first round will be incredibly easy to get in to. Especially for strong teams, you’ll see season ticket holders who have already gone to nearly 40 games this year save a few bucks by missing some games. That said, you might see some people come craving Toronto playoff hockey, but this didn’t exactly happen the last time the team made the playoffs. Granted – we’re talking three seasons later, with the Leafs still forever out, so the landscape may have changed, but I doubt there will be much trouble to start. If the team wins a couple of rounds, it’s possible.

The year the Marlies made it to the conference finals (2007-08), home playoff attendance was as follows.

Round 1 vs. San Antonio: 1063, 3367, 1829, 1982 (Average: 2060)
Round 2 vs. Syracuse: 2931, 3133, 2733, 4753 (Average: 3388)
Round 3 vs. Chicago: 2573, 2713 (Average: 2643)

That’s an average of less than 3000 per game over the playoff run. The single round of 2008/09 wasn’t much better, with attendances of 3783, 2258, and 2416. I genuinely believe this year will be better, but I’d be shocked to see the building hit capacity with any sort of consistency.

Will playoff games be televised?

I’d like to say yes, and common sense would have you believe that LeafsTV will at least tape delay road games. Then again, we’re trusting LeafsTV and possibly RogersTV (I don’t know if their deal extends into the playoffs) to not drop the ball on ths. That’s a lot of expectation.

Which Leafs players qualify to join the playoff roster?

Quite a few, actually. Carter Ashton, Matt Frattin, Jay Rosehill, and Jake Gardiner are all on the Leafs and on the clear day roster. Also on the clear day roster that have seen time on the Leafs this year, but are already back down? Philippe Dupuis, Ryan Hamilton, Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne, and Ben Scrivens all match this description. Korbinian Holzer has been called up but didn’t dress for the Leafs, and Marcel Mueller saw time with the big club last season.

Could we see games played at the Air Canada Centre?

This goes back to the ease of getting tickets question. People like to talk big, about how we’re going to need all these seats to see the Marlies play in the playoffs, but Ricoh has to be filled first. As it stands, they’re way under 50% capacity in the playoffs over the course of their history. If the team advances past the first two rounds, and 7800 is a consistent thing, maybe, just maybe, the Marlies will ask to see if there are any non booked days for the ACC. I wouldn’t entirely count on it though.

Does the team realistically have a chance at doing damage?

I’d like to believe so. There’s a lot of young talent, and the team has been successful over the course of the regular season. That said, they’re far from the only roster bringing in talent come playoff time, and teams like St. Johns, Oklahoma City, Wilkes-Barre, and Hershey have put up big years. Not to mention those robots in Norfolk that have apparently replaced the hockey team the past 20 games. That said, expect the team to at least be competitive in the series they play in.

Will Broll, Olden, or any of the other junior players see time?

Probably not, barring injuries. At least that’s the word coming out of Dallas Eakins at the moment. The reality is, there are better players on the team, and the bulk of the group has played together all year. . You don’t just throw in weaker talent to see if they’ll stick. Really, the only two guys on the playoff roster who haven’t played much for the team are Carter Ashton and Jake Gardiner, and they’re a cut above the group coming in from the CHL. It should be noted, though, that they are technically capable of playing – junior players coming at the conclusion of their season don’t have to be on the Clear Day roster.

Should I show up to playoff games?

This is a no brainer. This is a playoff hockey team in Toronto, with twelve players that have played regular season time with the Leafs (many of them prospects), along with other promising young talents and entertaining players. And rather than paying $55 just to stand in the ACC, you can get into Ricoh to catch these guys for ten bucks. It’s the same thing I usually say about the team in the regular season, but it resonates more here, considering the low attendance count they’ve had in previous playoff runs. Don’t worry about demand and assume it’ll be sold out. Don’t worry about the team going on a big run and assume you’re wasting money by going to early games. These will lead to empty buildings, and any player can tell you that the crowd atmosphere is crucial to the team’s success. With that said, I expect to see you, and hopefully just under 8000 more people there on a game by game basis.

Any other questions? Leave them in the comments.

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