There remains an intriguing possibility that the Toronto Marlies will call up winger Mitch Marner at the conclusion of the Memorial Cup on Sunday to join his future Toronto Maple Leafs brethren.

“He would be eligible, but it would be a much larger scale discussion,” said Toronto Marlies GM Kyle Dubas.

The Marlies are into the third round of the Calder Cup playoffs. Though they’re the top seeds with a fair bit of offensive prowess, the Marlies have struggled to score with just three goals against the Hershey Bears in the first two games.

Meanwhile, Marner has impressed by leading the London Knights to the Memorial Cup final, topping all scorers.

“If you’ve watched him play, it’s one of the most dominating offensive displays,” Dubas said of Marner plus linemates Matthew Tkachuk and Christian Dvorak. “That line (is so much better than) the level they’re playing in, so able to dominate the puck. It’s fun to watch.

“Mitch is so creative and so intelligent, and his skill level is so high. He has the puck on his stick the whole game. It’s exciting for us.”

Calling him up isn’t an easy call. They’ll balance his fitness and fatigue level against their own needs. It might be better for Marner rest up for next season.

“We’ll see where we’re at, but most important where he’s at physically,” said Dubas. “It’s been a lot of hockey this year: the world junior camp, our rookie tournament, NHL exhibition, OHL regular season, world juniors, four rounds of playoffs, Memorial Cup. We’ll see where Mitch is at, have a discussion with staff, and go from there.”

If he does join the Marlies, Marner would join a young core that includes William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen — all expected to mature as Maple Leafs.

“I’ve been especially impressed with how some of our younger players have responded,” said Dubas. “Kasperi Kapanen would be at the forefront of that. He was a healthy scratch the first game of the playoffs, and has shown so much maturity and growth and has stepped up and has had some huge moments for us.

“He did so for Finland earlier in the world juniors. He’s showing a knack for that. That’s encouraging and exciting.”

It’s not unusual for drafted players to join an AHL club following the junior season. Second-round pick Travis Dermott is with the Marlies and has played in the playoffs, after Marner’s Knights eliminated Dermott’s Erie Otters in an OHL conference final. As well, 2015 picks Andrew Nielsen and Jeremy Bracco are working out with the Marlies.

And forward Andreas Johnson, a seventh-round pick from 2012, joined the Marlies after the Sweden’s season, although he suffered a concussion midway through the second round and remains sidelined.

“He’s nowhere near returning,” Dubas said of Johnson. “I would say any return this season would be very unlikely.”

Dubas added, however, that Johnson is improving after taking a mid-ice elbow to the head.

“He’s going through his protocol to return. His colour is improving. He looks healthier. He’s improving daily, but certainly it was one of the scarier situations that I’ve seen.”

The future for Marner will definitely include a lot of time in the gym.

‘“He’s going to have a huge summer in terms of maximizing his strength and conditioning (to) put himself in as good a spot as he can in September,” said Dubas.

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