The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Saturday that they assigned defenceman Philippe Myers to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a conditioning loan.
Maple Leafs D Philippe Myers has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on a conditioning loan.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 16, 2024
Myers has appeared in a single game for the Leafs this season and has been with the team primarily as a seventh blueliner. It is not due to his skill level, but rather how much depth the team has on their back end, meaning he would only get into the mix if one of the regulars gets injured.
The strong play of Conor Timmins, combined with Jani Hakanpaa and Simon Benoit being the primary options in the rotation meant Myers was likely not going to get into any NHL games immediately. This conditioning loan likely ensures he can remain in game shape and get some proper reps in before getting back up into the mix in the event the Leafs run into injuries.
It is also a creative way for the team to keep him in the fold without risking losing him on waivers. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned in a recent 32 Thoughts article that he sensed the Leafs would try to assign Myers to the Marlies on a conditioning loan since he has barely played and to make room for Hakanpaa, which is exactly what happened.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli noted last week that the Leafs are high on Myers and would prefer not to put him on waivers unless necessary because they are not confident he would go unclaimed.
“I’ll tell you one other thing that they wouldn’t like to do,” Seravalli said in regards to how they would manage the roster crunch. “You might look at their lineup and say, ‘Hey, well Philippe Myers, he’s only played one game this season. You could just put him on waivers.’ The Leafs really don’t want to do that. They think with his size that they’re on the cusp of figuring something out to be a quiet, stay-at-home defenceman and a cheap option for them in their bottom pair. They’re not ready to give up on him.”
The fact the team is willing to go through this type of loophole to ensure they can keep Myers is telling of how much they believe in him and why he was able to remain on the Leafs roster for this long. After all, his strong play in the preseason was enough to force Timothy Liljegren out of the rotation and eventually off the roster entirely.
Myers is on a one-year contract that he signed with Toronto on July 2 that carries an AAV of $775K. He is expected to be in the lineup for the Marlies’ afternoon game against the Belleville Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
