If you are a Maple Leafs fan it’s hard not to be excited about Nikita Grebenkin. In his brief four-game NHL history he’s shown that he can be an intense, punishing player on the ice while being an amusing personality off the ice. It’s easy to envision Grebenkin being a fan favourite for a long time to come.

It’s that long-time-to-come part that lends itself to the premise that Marlies is the best place for Grebenkin at the moment. Playing just over nine minutes a night in the NHL is great because it’s the NHL but it is pigeonholing Nikita towards playing in a fourth-line capacity. It may be too early to say for certain that he has the potential to be more but giving him a development focus for the next couple of months might be the best course of action, especially with a number of Leaf forwards slated to return from injury.

Grebenkin’s time with the Leafs has been focusing him in an energy line capacity. He’s picked up seven hits, including some memorable heavy/questionable ones that show his edge. The trade-off is that to date he has been limited to just one shot on goal in his four games, and just four shot attempts (two from high-danger areas and one creating a rebound.)

The majority of Grebenkin’s ice time has been with fellow Marlies call-ups (Fraser Minten, Alex Nylander) and with bottom-of-the-lineup card staples (Pontus Holmberg, Nick Robertson, Connor Dewar). While he has had a taste of time with John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, it has been limited to a late-game situation or while lines were in transition. Grebenkin hasn’t looked out of place in his bottom-six role and provided the Leafs with what they needed from him but curiosity remains about what more he can provide. Time with the Marlies will help answer that.

Returning Grebenkin gets him playing 20 minutes a night and likely in better offensive situations. He will have the chance to apply his knowledge of the size and speed of the NHL to how he approaches his 200-foot game, and rather than being limited to bottom-six duty, Grebenkin can be another option that fits the roles filled by Matthew Knies, Bobby McMann, and Max Pacioretty. It might be lazy to say it because he’s Russian, but turning Grebenkin into the next Nikolai Kulemin would be a great outcome, and Grebenkin’s recent showing in the NHL makes it seem like it isn’t that far off.

Regardless of whether progress is made in Grebenkin’s game this season, he is a player who should be on Brad Treliving and Craig Berube’s radar for the playoffs. The physical play and two-way awareness of Grebenkin already make him appear as an easy choice over players like Ryan Reaves and Connor Dewar. He’s just as likely to provide a spark as anyone who currently fills a fourth-line role around the NHL on a potential selling team, and rather than dump a late-round draft pick on an unnecessary rental, Grebenkin is likely the best fit.

Nikita Grebenkin’s return to the Marlies seems likely and the fact that he is one of two waiver-exempt options the Maple Leafs can utilize may play a part in the decision-making process. Though whatever the reasoning there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Grebenkin getting an opportunity to play a bigger role and develop a little while longer. There is a lot to be excited about Grebenkin without the over-ripening in the AHL, but it doesn’t hurt to see if there is some benefit from it once the Leafs are deeper at their forward positions.