The Toronto Marlies’ stellar forwards may have been handed the most praise last season, and rightfully so, but it’s the blueline that materialized as the team’s most valuable asset, exhibiting nearly all attributes expected from a modern defence group.
How else can one describe their depth other than unprecedented?
The calibre of NHL talent harboured by the Marlies was borderline unfair. Of the 6 defencemen who hit the ice on opening night, 3 of them – Travis Dermott, Justin Holl, and Rinat Valiev – logged NHL minutes at some point down the line, with later arrivals from Martin Marincin, Andreas Borgman, and Calle Rosen inflating that group even further.