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“We lost Valiev to a minor injury in practice,” Keefe said by way of example. “And the older guys know at the end of the day, the young guys get priority.”

By now, the disappointment of not making the Leafs at training camp has worn off on eager players such as Nielsen and Dermott. To start, the Leafs kept Swedish newcomers Andreas Borgman and Rosen, then dropped Rosen to re-sign 31-year-old Roman Polak.

“We remind ourselves it wasn’t a demotion, that this is a development league,” said Nielsen, a third-round pick in 2015. “We were upset to not be in the NHL, but you have to look at the positives. We have many of the same people who work with the Leafs, an excellent staff.

“It’s great to hear what he (Leaf coach Babcock) said about the defence here. You keep working, keep impressing and your chance will come. It’s a matter of time, whether it’s tomorrow, next week, next month or next year.”

KAP SPACE

When winger Kasperi Kapanen was summoned to the Leafs last week, the Marlies’ job jar was suddenly full again.

“Kappy was benefiting us in multiple ways,” Keefe said. “He was on the power play, killing penalties, playing 5-on-5. We’ve had to replace him by committee, but for now, we moved Andreas Johnsson into his spot with Miro Aaltonen and Kerby Rychel.”

MARLIES NOTES

The Marlies have a record of 6-3 after nine games. Forward Ben Smith leads the team with eight points … Dmytro Timashov, who was third in Marlie rookie scoring last year, is playing left wing with Chris Mueller, who was in the NHL with Nashville, Dallas and the Rangers … Frederik Gauthier has now played five games since coming back from leg surgery, earning two assists … Adam Brooks, the 130-point centre from Regina, knew the points wouldn’t come as easy as in junior. He has one assist in seven games … Keefe said reality has set in for most Marlies after the camp cuts and that no one has been hanging their heads. Only James van Riemsdyk and Matt Martin have missed a game with the Leafs. Keefe was not asked about 32-year-old winger/centre Eric Fehr, assigned there on the weekend with Kapanen’s promotion … This six-game road trip is the longest the Marlies will be away, starting in Laval, Que., on Wednesday, then winding through Pennsylvania, stopping in Hershey, Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre. The trip wraps up with a two-game set in Binghamton, N.Y., next weekend. “There’s no better way to get to know a new guy than spending a week on the road and five or six hours next to him on a bus,” quipped Nielsen. “This is a good group.” … Forward Nikita Soshnikov has a team-high 26 shots on goal … Garret Sparks is 4-1 in net with a 1.82 goals-against average, putting him top 10 in the AHL.