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Why the Toronto Maple Leafs just sent their hottest player back to the AHL

Originally posted on 6IX ON ICE | By Anthony Fava | Last updated Mar 28, 2026 12:34 PM ET

As we inch closer to the end of the 2025–26 NHL regular season, the chances of the Toronto Maple Leafs making the playoffs are just about zero as the team currently sits 12 points out of a wild-card berth.

With star captain Auston Matthews out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, there really hasn’t been anything positive for Leafs fans to cling to at this stage, except for a recent AHL call-up, 26-year-old Bo Groulx. Groulx has been the leading scorer for the Toronto Marlies this season, and with the absence of Matthews, Groulx stepped in for nine games with the Leafs in March. He put up three goals, five points and a plus-minus rating of plus-five.

Despite these solid stats for Groulx, who has just 74 career NHL games to his name, the Leafs announced Friday that Groulx was being re-assigned to the Marlies. But while sending a hot centre like Groulx back to the AHL may seem like an odd choice, it is ultimately the correct move for the Leafs and Groulx at this stage.

Here’s why.

Prepping for the Calder Cup

The Leafs may be well behind in the playoff race, but the same cannot be said for the Marlies, who sit at third in their division—currently placing them in a playoff spot. With only nine games left in the AHL season for the Marlies, having the aid of their top scorer will be a huge help as they look to secure a playoff spot and challenge for the Calder Cup.

Groulx helping the Marlies has also been reported as a main reason for the Leafs re-assigning him, with Leafs coach Craig Berube addressing the situation to the media on Friday.

“He wanted to go down and help them and play,” Berube said. “That’s a testament to his character and what he believes in, and how it all works, and he understands it. He’s good.”

Groulx’s mindset makes a lot of sense. While staying with the Leafs for the remainder of the season might help him turn more heads going into next season, and could potentially build his case for a full-time roster spot, having him on the Marlies will give him more playing time, and perhaps a deep AHL playoff run could give Groulx more of an edge heading into Leafs training camp.

Quest for a top-five pick

Groulx’s re-assignment to the AHL likely goes beyond preparing for the Marlies’ upcoming playoffs. As we discussed in a previous article, the Leafs’ 2026 first-round pick belongs to the Boston Bruins, that is, unless Toronto manages to nab a top-five pick in the draft lottery, as the pick is top-five protected. However, to pull this off, the Leafs will have to plummet in the standings as they currently sit with the 10th-worst record in the league—three spots higher than they were just over a week ago.

During the nine games with Groulx on the team, the Leafs had a positive record of 4–3–2, which was the 12th-best record in the league during that period. These are promising numbers when compared to the rest of the team’s season, but with the Leafs’ uncertain future in mind, securing a top-five pick should come before relatively meaningless late-season wins.

With just nine games remaining, the Leafs need to lose some games if they want to have a hope of hanging onto their pick, but luckily for Toronto, the margin of points between them and the five teams below is slim. They are just four points ahead of the 28th-place St. Louis Blues. So with their standing position and the draft stakes in mind, would it really be smart for the Leafs to continue playing a guy who has clearly excelled and produced winning hockey? We think not.

Doing right by Groulx

While sending Groulx back to the Marlies doesn’t guarantee the Leafs a top pick, it does set them up better to lose games down the stretch, which very well could provide a silver lining on a disappointing season. And when you combine this with Groulx’s importance to Toronto’s AHL club heading into the Calder Cup playoffs, it is clear that Leafs management made the right call.

This article first appeared on 6IX ON ICE and was syndicated with permission.

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