At the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke was firmly focused on building a team with character and physicality. The Leafs were fairly stocked up with the 25th, 30th, and 39th picks in the draft. Things went as expected as Burke traded up eight spots to select bruising winger Tyler Biggs with the 22nd pick. Biggs has struggled to fit into the ECHL thus far in his career, and looks to be an NHL bust.
Insult to injury? The 30th pick ended up being Rickard Rakell, the Anaheim Ducks’ 20 goal scoring forward, and the 39th pick was John Gibson, the Ducks’ franchise goaltender.
After missing on getting big with Biggs, the Leafs brass seemed to veer away from the game plan and make an uncharacteristic move. After trading up for Biggs, Burke used the 25th selection for undersized defenseman, Stuart Percy. The Leafs brass loved the hockey IQ that the Toronto native possessed. Even though he wasn’t physical or a ‘character’ guy, the Leafs made an exception for Percy due to his ‘big-game’ mentality. Percy played key minutes in the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors’ run to the Memorial Cup final, displaying poise and stability.
Five years later, Percy has played just twelve NHL games. Three NHL head coaches have come and gone for the Leafs, and a new front office, scouting staff and vision surrounds the organization. Prospects Viktor Loov, Rinat Valiev, Travis Dermott, Andrew Nielsen, Connor Carrick, Frank Corrado, Scott Harrington and Martin Marincin have all seemingly passed Percy in the defense depth chart. Percy also isn’t waiver exempt next year, meaning the Leafs would not be able to send him to the Marlies next year without him first going through waivers. He would likely get claimed.
The Leafs have to make a decision on whether they should let Percy go this summer. The prospect has made strides in recent years. He made the big club out of training cup in 2014-2015 and played nine games, performing admirably. After struggling in his last two games, he was demoted to the AHL. Percy has since suffered nagging injuries while struggling to get a real look at the big club.
In the Shanahan-Lamoriello era, Percy got just three games. Valiev and Carrick, on the other hand, were given ten and 16 games, respectively. Harrington, part of the Phil Kessel trade, has been injured all year, but still played 16 games before he was shut down for the year. He is also a ‘Mark Hunter’ guy, so management will be inclined to keep Harrington over Percy. Loov was injured when the call-ups started happening, but would have featured with the Leafs had he stayed healthy.
Given the odds, the Marlies’ Calder Cup run is Percy’s last chance to make a case to stick with his hometown team. In the first round against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Percy was pointless in three games, with a +3. He has become a leader for a young Toronto Marlies team, and his point totals have improved over the course of his professional career. He’s still a patient and savvy defenseman, and at just 22 years old, he will likely be an NHL defenseman. Injuries have derailed his NHL hopes in the past, but with a healthy post-season run, the Leafs brass could hold off until training camp to make a decision on Percy.
Simply put, Stuart Percy needs to have an electrifying training camp if he wants to stay in the city of Toronto. And that is if he even gets to camp as a member of the Leafs organization.
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