With only two NHL defensemen - Morgan Rielly and Justin Holl - signed through next season, the Toronto Maple Leafs took care of some blueline business on Friday afternoon when they announced the extension of depth defenseman Martin Marincin.
The 27-year-old - who won a Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2017-18 - has played in just 129 NHL games over his five-year tenure with the blue and white.
Though he does not provide much of a scoring touch - as is evidenced by his 30 career NHL points in his 214 game NHL career - he is definitely a good soldier who knows what his role is. Marincin possesses NHL size and speed, can play on the penalty kill, is accepting of the fact that he will be up and down as needed and his presence in the lineup also enables the Maple Leafs to take a more cautious approach with their young stars, allowing them to cook a little longer, rather than vaulting them into the spotlight before they're ready.
With Cody Ceci, Jake Muzzin and Tyson Barrie all on expiring deals, which will allow them to become UFA's next season, the Leafs had to be proactive to retain some bodies on the back end. Pending RFA Travis Dermott is still a controllable asset, but as we saw with both Mitch Marner and William Nylander, the threat of a potential hold-out is real, even when the asset is under control for several more seasons. The Marincin signing gives the team a little bit of insurance in the event of a hold-out.
This is likely to be somewhat of an unpopular move in Leafs Nation. However, once fans get past the shock of the team electing to retain a player who has shown that he can be a defensive liability, the anguish gives way to the realization that the signing itself is very low-risk and does give the team some flexibility, which is an asset.
Marincin will earn $700k on a one-year, one-way deal next season to remain with the Buds in Toronto, in a city that he has called home for the last five seasons.
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