It's so, so, so early to judge these signings, but why not?
Aaltonen (March 17, 2017): On the Marlies as expected, but quite a bit feistier and more skilled than his stat-lines suggested. Trails only Soshnikov and Rychel with shots on goal having only played 4 of the 5 games.
Bracco (March 21, 2017): Has only just started his season (2 GP) with the Marlies due to a bout of mono over the summer and losing what little weight he had to begin with. He has a tough climb ahead of him
Ben Smith (May 2, 2017): Don't look now, but Smith is leading the Marlies in scoring at a point per game. I like him on the Marlies. Please stay there.
Zaitsev (May 2, 2017): Looks solid and more confident. It was largely the back half when he tired that things started looking bleak. He mentioned last season that he trained slightly wrong, and dumped too many EVs into his Physical Attack stat instead of Speed and HP. Playing with Gardiner sure helps, but he's still getting the hard match every night and no PP time.
Ros?n (May 16, 2017): Looking a bit lost in the NHL game speed, but there's an adjustment period. His wheels are beautiful, but his game think is suspect. No PP time means we'll probably only very rarely see his shot this season. Confidence does wonders though and that hopefully comes as his cushy zone starts builds up his performance.
Borgman (May 16, 2017): Younger, but better than Ros?n in terms of toolkit and development runway. I didn't think he'd get big league time so soon, but he's been relatively steady for a rookie. I don't mind Babcock carouseling them.
McElhinney ( June 30, 2017): Looked both extremes during pre-season. Let's see what happens tonight. Probably won't get hooked regardless due to Andersen's rest requirements.
Hainsey (July 1, 2017): As advertised, he has been boring so far, and can still move. Doesn't quite have the instinct on break outs when we're hemmed in (so very few do), but he's so smart at the blue line and positions himself very efficiently along the boards.
Marleau (July 2, 2017): Also as advertised, he has been a solid depth contributor both on offense and defensively. If he wins the Cup with us, what jersey does he wear for the HHoF induction?
Hyman (July 5, 2017): People are hating him on the top line less. Probably because he's showing more confidence with the puck and potting goals. His play without the puck is as superb as it was last season and might be even better now that he's starting to pick his spots to box out plays for Matthews and Nylander to fly by.
Liljegren (July 12, 2017): So glad he decided to stay in Toronto, and so glad it's with the Marlies instead of being forced onto the Leafs (deeeeeppppppptttthhhhh). He is adjusting to the new country and NA game, which means he is leading the defense in shots and points so far (4 GP, 1G, 2A, 8SOG), and also in this extremely small sample size, out producing Kapanen (4GP, 2G, 0 A, 7SOG).
Brown (August 26, 2017): Brown is playing like it's his contract year; he's just flying into the forecheck and backcheck. Playing every phase of the game helps him get the minutes he should be getting higher up in the lineup. He doesn't drive play on his own, but playing alongside skill, he is a very good complement.
