Leafs Reportedly Set to Lose Several Depth Players to European Team, Creating Openings for Prospects

With the Toronto Marlies battling for playoff position in the AHL, a trusted source in Europe has linked three players on the verge of joining Adler Mannheim out of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany.

Loosely translated, the post on 'X' reads that Zach Solow and Joseph Blandisi are close to signing deals with the German club before 'leafsnationnews' piggybacked the post and added that defenseman Nicolas Mattinen is also linked to Mannheim.

Currently, on the season, Blandisi has collected 14 goals and 33 points to go along with 80 PIMs in 54 games, Solow has 5 goals and 16 points in 47 games, and Mattinen has 4 assists in 21 games.

Out of the three, Blandisi is the more consistent performer and has been a part of the Marlies roster for the last 4 seasons. He notched 25 goals and 59 points in 70 games last year, but playing time might be hard to come by with several touted prospects looking to make in-roads next year.

NCAA standouts in Luke Haymes and John Prokop are expected to feature heavily for the Marlies next season, as well as during their current playoff push. Top prospect Easton Cowan could also play a large role next season, should he fail to make the Leafs' roster out of training camp.

Cowan is knee-deep in a playoff push of his own with the London Knights of the OHL. He was instrumental in their first round sweep of Owen Sound with 9 points in 4 games and he will now set his sights on the Erie Otters ahead of their Round 2 matchup.

While it's always hard to lose multiple players from your main roster, the Marlies are in a great position to be able to replace the departing players with more instrumental pieces who could play key roles for the organization.