Toronto Maple Leafs: Andreas Johnsson continues to impress with Toronto Marlies

The Toronto Marlies continue to dominate in the AHL led by Andreas Johnsson, who is making his case to be on the Toronto Maple Leafs at some point.

While a lot of eyes were on Nikita Soshnikov as he played his final game of his conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies, Andreas Johnsson went about his business as he continues his dominance of the AHL.

Last season was Johnsson’s first with the Marlies. He had a solid year with 20 goals, 27 assists and 47 points in 75 games, along with six goals in 11 playoff games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 2013 seventh round pick has been the definition of a project as he has slowly seen a rise in his game since his time in the SHL with Frölunda HC.

Now he has established his game with the Marlies at both ends of the ice, but his offensive output has taken off recently.

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The Leafs have to be encouraged with the improvement Johnsson has made this season, especially with changes expected to come in the offseason leaving an opportunity for him to make the jump next season.

There is a case to be made for Johnsson to be promoted but with the logjam on the NHL roster, it makes sense for the 23-year-old to stay in the AHL.

Johnsson was named to the AHL All-Star Game along with Justin Holl, scoring the game winning goal for the North Division.

This is a case where being patient with a prospect’s development has paid off and there are some benefits this can bring if he makes the jump next season.

For starters he is a left-handed shot; the Leafs are heavy on the right-side with wingers. That is not a huge deal, but defensively it does help the Swedish winger.

There will always be caution thrown towards a winger who is scoring at or near a point-per-game pace in the AHL, as it does not always translate to the NHL. However, the Leafs’ program with the Marlies emphasizes development in all facets of their game, so even if they are not scoring they can provide value in other areas.

The Marlies have been using Johnsson on the penalty kill and it is no accident. Hardev Lad of Pension Plan Puppets points out the Leafs have been successful with turning wingers like Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman into strong penalty killers along with Travis Dermott on defence.

Next: What now for Nikita Soshnikov?

It might not be a big thing to many people for a winger to be known for his penalty killing. However, it is the small details like that and the offensive play that makes Johnsson a realistic possibility for next season and if there is an injury at some point in this stretch run.