The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, but the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, clinched their own playoff berth for the upcoming AHL postseason.

The Marlies’ push for a Calder Cup will give some of the younger Maple Leafs an opportunity to be part of a playoff run at the professional level. Following the Maple Leafs’ 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, Bo Groulx spoke about the Marlies’ upcoming playoff quest and his plan to return to help them out.

“It would mean a lot. I think the plan is that I’m going back down for the playoffs, and I’m very excited for it,” Groulx said. “It’s going to be my first time playing in the playoffs in professional hockey, so I’m very excited for it. I think we have a really good team and we can do something special.”

Groulx and fellow Maple Leafs forward Jacob Quillan have been two of the players who have been able to spend a portion of this season at the NHL level following the Maple Leafs’ trade deadline moves. Quillan, like Groulx, offered a similar sentiment when asked about the Marlies clinching a playoff berth.

“It’s great to know we’re in that position. When the season is done here, I’m looking forward to going on a run with them,” Quillan said.

After Wednesday night’s contest, which saw Anthony Stolarz, Dakota Joshua and Brandon Carlo all leave the game early due to injury, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube announced that Luke Haymes and William Villeneuve will be called up to make their NHL debuts for Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders.

Haymes has impressed this season, recording 32 points in 64 games, in the 22-year-old’s first full season at the AHL level. Originally signed to a two-year contract out of Dartmouth College, Haymes is being rewarded after putting together a strong second half, starting just prior to the AHL All-Star break.

“He’s a really good player. He came in, and you can tell he really tried to fill out his game at the AHL level, and he’s done really well,” Groulx said. “He’s a really smart player, he’s good on faceoffs, and he’s scored a lot for the Marlies the past two months. It’s good to see him.”

Villeneuve, a former fourth-round draft pick of the Maple Leafs, 122nd overall in 2020, has spent the past four seasons with the Marlies. The 24-year-old has put up 25 or more points in each of his four campaigns with the Marlies, with this opportunity at the NHL level feeling like a long time coming for the defenceman.

“He’s maybe not the star you wanted at first, but I’ve known him for a while, I played against him in junior, and he’s a really skilled defenceman,” Groulx said. “He moves his feet really well and has a high IQ. At the start of the year, things weren’t going his way on the power play, but recently he’s been lighting it up. When he’s moving his feet and playing with confidence, good things happen.”

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