The Marlies like so many AHL teams have few NHL prospects. The only "difference makers" NHLer might Sandin and Liljegren plus Scott and Woll. Unlikely any of the other Marlies forwards or Dmen are more than bottom six players and even at that just Korshov, Brooks could be considered NHLers. Bracco a boom or bust guy needs to play a top 6 player or PP specialists....doubt if NHL good long term.
A raft of other Dmen, late draft picks or UFAs...more emergency call ups than NHLers.
Not so sure that is true. Many of the Marlies' top guys are U24, which is not something most other teams can claim. Even then, a lot of other teams' U24 players are not as good as many of ours. There are not as many "difference makers" as there once was, but there is a huge area between that and not being an NHLer at all.
Sandin, Liljegren, Scott, Woll and Bracco are the only ones I would say with a good amount of confidence that could become legit top 6/top 4/starting caliber goalies at this point.
However after that you have guys like Engvall, Korshkov, Brooks, Kivihalme, Hollowell, Lindgren, Duszak, Timashov, etc. who may not be those premier guys but are good enough to replace expensive depth players and will be doing so for the Leafs in the next year or two. Our development system does not just produce guys who put up points, but also guys who are strong defensively and can skate (both of which usually limit AHL prospects from making the next step). Not all of them are going to make it, but the Marlies are far from being "like so many AHL teams" and it shows why they are able to consistently put up championship caliber teams despite a core consistent mostly of legit prospects and the usual callups/injuries that hurt their depth.
