The Toronto Marlies completed their AHL regular season with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Rochester Americans Saturday afternoon. The Marlies drew over 7,000 for Fan Appreciation Day at Ricoh Coliseum and honored defenseman TJ Brennan and goaltender Drew MacIntyre before the game.
Brennan was acknowledged for being named the winner of the Eddie Shore Trophy(the AHL equivalent of the Norris Trophy for best defenseman) earlier in the week and MacIntyre was named the Marlies Man of the Year.
The 30-year-old journeyman has been a stabilizing force since joining the Marlies in February 2013, posting a sparkling 1.83 GAA and .931 save percentage in 21 games in 2013 and going 29-15-3 in 2013-14 for a Toronto club that saw an influx of young players and the departure of veteran leaders Ryan Hamilton, Mike Zigomanis and Greg Scott.
“I’m really proud of the guys. Older guys did a great job being that steady influence." MacIntyre said following a 30 save effort. “To be honest, I didn’t have that high expectations. I was hoping, but there was still a question mark in my head, when you see some of the guys that signed somewhere else in the summer.…
The Charlottetown PEI native and his teammates accomplished one goal, winning the AHL North Division title for the third straight season, but are aiming their sights higher, as the Calder Cup playoffs begin for Marlies in Abbotsford or Milwaukee next weekend, before returning to Toronto for Games 3,4 and 5 on May 1,3 and 4.
“We can be happy with what we’ve done, but what we want right now and all we really care about is the playoffs.…
MacIntyre also has a personal stake in making a deep run with the Marlies, as he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and may see an opportunity to continue in Toronto with the Marlies or possibly make a bid for the Leafs backup goaltender job as the future status of James Reimer is in question.
“Of course…I’m not stupid.… MacIntyre said about his desire for a deep playoff run. “I’ve been around and of course it does and I’m very motivated to do something.…
The veteran of 13 clubs in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and KHL over 11 professional seasons played in two games for the Leafs and made his first NHL start on the final road trip of the season.
“It was awesome… MacIntyre said of his start against the Florida Panthers on April 10. “I felt like I could help the team and was disappointed that it was a meaningless game for the guys.…
Many changes are likely to occur in the Maple Leafs organization in the coming months, including the likely departure of Reimer, who is a restricted free agent and hopes to be a starting goaltender with another team after losing his job to Jonathan Bernier this season.
With the expectation that salary cap space will be at a premium with free agents Jake Gardiner, Dave Bolland, Nikolai Kulemin, Jay McClement and Mason Raymond looking for new deals, GM Dave Nonis may be willing to take a chance on MacIntyre to backup Bernier not only because he is capable and has paid his dues, but also because he could be signed for a league minimum one-way deal.
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