Maple Leafs making a big mistake with thriving young star in the AHL

There's a breach in the hull in Toronto and it seems like no matter how fast the Maple Leafs try to bail out the water, the ship is still sinking fast.

The Leafs have lost 4 of their last 5 games after last night's embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Nashvile Predators -- one of the few teams who sit beneath the Maple Leafs in the standings -- and there's more questions than answers right now in Toronto.

Fortunately for the Leafs, they may have a potential answer developing well with the Toronto Marlies.

While Jacob Quillan wouldn't be a conventional answer for the issues in the top six, he could potentially be an option for the Leafs in the bottom six -- and a good one.

The Leafs are struggling with consistency right now, as well as their overall effort level. With 22 points in 23 games this season, Quillan has proven his ability to be a consistent contributor, and just watching a few shifts from this kid will show you that the effort and work ethic are both present and accounted for.

This weekend, The Athletic's Kevin Papetti has revealed that he believes the Leafs should trade a forward to open up a spot for the Marlies standout. It's hard to argue with that logic, given what we're seeing right now.

Historically, the Leafs haven't been overly eager to give young players a shot to really prove that they belong in the NHL. This year, though, the team really has nothing to lose by rewarding his strong season by allowing a young, thriving player to test his mettle in the NHL.

Quillan has been a quality player at every level he's played at, so there's really no reason to believe that he can't be a quality bottom-six NHLer. Quite frankly, it's a problem if Craig Berube and Brad Treliving don't want to give him the shot that he has earned when there are so many underperforming depth forwards on the NHL roster who don't deserve to be there.