Maple Leafs have zero Top-50 AHL scorers, a real problem for their organizational depth

This past offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs went with a collection of smaller depth pieces in order to bring a more balanced and cohesive unit. But in those signings weren't just NHL-level players, as the team added several AHL contracts to the organization this year.

It was meant to give their AHL affiliate a bit of a leg up after losing a couple of key players to free agency, and the names they added; Travis Boyd, Vinni Lettieri, and Bo Groulx all have NHL experience, and could offer help for the Maple Leafs if they run into any issues.

However some new stats show that the team's depth pieces aren't paying off yet for the Marlies, as the team has been unable to find any consistent offense.

The Marlies have zero players in the Top-50 in scoring in the AHL (per the official AHL site), with Travis Boyd sitting 56th as the highest-ranked player. He has 16 points in 18 games (8 goals, 8 assists), tied with Groulx and Jacob Quillan for the team lead; however it's a drop-off from there.

Michael Pezzetta, Cedric Pare, and Lettieri aren't showing the type of offensive punch that they can, even at the AHL level, and other pieces like Ben King have barely made it into the lineup at all.

The Marlies as a collective rank 18th currently in the AHL in goals for with 66, and 24th in goals against with 74. It seems like they are mirroring their NHL affiliate, as they sit with a 10-11-1 record, and much like the Maple Leafs, while they aren't failing terribly; it's not where we expected them to be.

All credit to Treliving for trying a new approach, but if they don't start picking things up, then it could cause some headaches down the line.

For now, the Maple Leafs forward group is healthy, and there's no cause for concerns yet. But that can switch at a moment's notice, and if they go down two or three players in rapid succession; who do you call upon?

Jacob Quillan would likely be one of the first call-ups on the team, but then who after? Do you give Alex Nylander another shot? Do you give Lettieri and Groulx a shot to prove themselves? Can they even afford to?

Toronto's first signing this offseason was Pezzetta, and he's never even earned a shot yet. He's only played 15 games though, can he be trusted to help weather any storm?

They aren't in a great position for a trade due to asset management, and the waiver wire can be used, but it's not often you get players like a Sammy Blais or Troy Stecher to just grab for free.

Beyond Quillan and maybe Boyd, the Maple Leafs don't really have anyone who is more impactful or impressive than Calle Jarnkrok or Matias Maccelli, the two main healthy scratches as of late.

We even saw Toronto use the waiver wire to bring in Blais for a spell this year as opposed to trying one of their depth pieces already signed. If they aren't going to get a look, why bring them in? Were the Marlies that thin?

Regardless, with over 500 career NHL games combined between Boyd, Lettieri, and Groulx, it's a bit surprising that Brad Treliving hasn't offered them a chance. He could regret not doing so if he runs into trouble with no real way out of it.