Brett Seney gets opportunity to prove himself to the Leafs

Brett Seney will get the chance to show the Toronto Maple Leafs what he can do for them at the NHL level after being recalled from the Marlies.

All any professional athlete ever wants, is the opportunity to prove themselves at the highest level in their chosen sport. Brett Seney will now get that opportunity, after being recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of their trip out west.

As per the Leafs’ official Twitter PR account, Seney was recalled from the Toronto Marlies on Sunday, along with defenceman Carl Dahlström. Going in the opposite direction was blue liner Kristiāns Rubīns, who played reasonably well during his three-game stint in the NHL.

Seney has been in fine form for the Marlies this season. As of Monday morning, he leads the AHL side with 10 goals and is second overall with 16 points.

Things could have turned out a lot differently for the winger/centre, who was placed on waivers by the Leafs on Oct. 6. However, he ended up going to the minors after not being claimed.

While Seney does not have the ideal size for a pro player, he has excellent passing and play-making skills. Along with his high hockey IQ and dedicated work ethic, it was understandable why the Leafs signed him in the first place to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000 against the NHL salary cap.

The 2015 sixth round draft pick has previous experience at the NHL level, with the majority coming during the 2018-19 season. He totaled five goals and eight assists in 51 games for the New Jersey Devils, while averaging 10:20 of ice time per contest.

Since then Seney has only seen action in two NHL games, both coming during the 2019-20 season. Now, he is hoping to see decent ice time during the Leafs’ four-game road trip to Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle.

The best-case projection for the 25-year-old seems to be a regular bottom-six role in the NHL, although many analysts believe even this is beyond him. Regardless, he now has the chance he has been looking for to prove the critics wrong, which is all you can ask for.

What is your opinion of Brett Seney? What do you believe he is realistically capable of with the Leafs? Let us know in the comments section below.