With the injury bug biting the Maple Leafs, some of their best prospects across town — such as defencemen Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin, forward Jeremy Bracco and goaltender Michael Hutchinson — say they’ll be ready if called upon.

“I feel pretty confident right now with my play with the Marlies,” said Liljegren, a prized defenceman who just happens to shoot from the right side. “So if it happens, it happens.”

The Marlies were hard at work Friday, preparing for a game against Cleveland on Saturday, while the parent club took the day off. The Leafs will be missing defencemen Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner and centre Nazem Kadri for their game Saturday against Buffalo. Coach Mike Babcock has been using Trevor Moore, a Marlies call-up, at forward and he’ll decide between Martin Marincin, Justin Holl and Igor Ozhiganov for two spots on the blue line on Saturday.

The Leafs have been one of the healthiest teams in the NHL for much of the past two seasons, but they might need help from the Marlies now.

“We have a number of guys that have the ability to step in,” Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We have a responsibility here to prepare those guys for those opportunities. In some cases, the players aren’t ready for a full-time spot, or they’re not as ready as you’d like them to be, but circumstances are what they are.”

The Marlies have had their own troubles. Defencemen Calle Rosen (foot), Andreas Borgman (concussion) and Frankie Corrado (knee) have been sidelined, thrusting the Leafs’ last two first-round picks — Liljegren and Sandin — into bigger roles. Both have been closing in on 30 minutes a night lately, after having their seasons interrupted by injury earlier.

“They’ve got things they’ve got to continue to work on, but we’re happy with how they’ve been able to progress,” said Keefe.

Sandin, who doesn’t turn 19 until March 7, has only played 28 games in the AHL and admits he has things to work on. “Well, everything really.”

Liljegren, taken 17th overall in the 2017 draft, was out from Dec. 1 until Feb. 15. “I think I’ve played pretty well since I came back,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m at the level I want to be at, but I think I’m improving.”

Bracco, a second-round pick in 2015 leads the Marlies in scoring with 56 points (15 goals, 41 assists). And Hutchinson, the veteran goalie acquired mid-season from Florida, has fit in well with the Marlies. He won two of his five games with the Leafs earlier this season.

“The team has done a great job helping me with anything I need,” Hutchinson said. “If I get another chance, I feel like I can go up there and contribute even more and help the team win.”

Rosen, who leads all AHL defencemen in assists, was the most likely defenceman to get a call before he was hurt blocking a shot last week.

“It’s bad timing for him, It’s bad timing for the organization,” Keefe said. “He’s doing all he can to get better. It’s not something that’s going to be days, it’s going to be weeks ...

“The way he moves around the ice, with the puck and without the puck, he’s a factor. He definitely is a guy that deserves to be in that discussion (to be called up), but unfortunately he’s banged up.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

But Keefe is confident others will be ready if needed.

“You never really know quite how ready the players are until they get an opportunity. We feel like all of our guys have been able to step up.”

Read more about: