The most meaningful Toronto hockey this spring starts tomorrow night with the Marlies

As the Maple Leafs pull out the putters as spring rolls around, the Toronto Marlies are geared up for a first-round matchup against the Rochester Americans in the opening of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Marlies (36-26-10) snatched the fourth seed in the North Division and take on the Americans who finished just below them in the standings (31-31-10) but they are going to be pretty stacked all things considered.

With the Maple Leafs season over, that means the Marlies got some heavy reinforcements with Easton Cowan, Luke Haymes, William Villeneuve and others all being sent down to help with the playoff push. Add in the new NCAA names and the usual suspects and suddenly the Marlies look poised to make a push.

But it's an important game nonetheless and could be the catalyst to kickstart something pretty spectacular in the future.

It's going to be Easton Cowan's first professional game in the postseason and for a guy who is known to kick it into extra gear when it comes to the playoffs, there is a lot of excitement.

During his time with London, he posted 96 points (32 goals, 64 assists) and won two OHL Championships during his time there, so it's comfortable territory for Toronto's top prospect.

But you also have to keep in mind there is a ton of other talent that has a wealth of playoff experience as well. Jacob Quillan won Quinnipiac University their first NCAA Championship, and lineup staples Alexander Nylander and Logan Shaw have AHL playoff experience as well.

Couple that with two standout goalies in Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov, and they have a wealth of talent that can make a huge impact and could run away with things if they get hot.

Well, there's the obvious fact that it's the only postseason hockey that Toronto hockey fans are going to get for the remainder of the season, it's the best chance to see what the future offers.

Currently, the lineup is expected to look like this for Game One vs. Rochester:

Groulx - Shaw - Lettieri
Cowan - Tverberg - Nylander
Quillan - Haymes - Valis
Pezzetta - Pare - Johnstone

Rifai - Thrun
Mermis - Villeneuve
Chadwick - Benning

Hildeby
Akhtyamov

While it's a little strange to see Cowan on the second line, it's by design. He finished the year with William Nylander, and gets his brother now — something he looks forward to and knows could lead to something special:

Alex is also excited about the postseason and knows that William is going to be watching closely and happy for him despite missing the playoffs himself:

But Toronto genuinely stacked their top line as Shaw, Lettieri, and Groulx combined for 148 points this season (65 goals, 83 assists) and are going to be the trio to watch this spring.

It's also a look at several prospective faces who may join the Maple Leafs next year, and a strong postseason may end up solidifying their spot.

Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes, Groulx, Borya Valis, William Villeneuve and Marshall Rifai are all players who could make a genuine push to be in the Maple Leafs lineup next season, so besides being a dogfight in the AHL; it's a battle between teammates.

There's not going to be Maple Leafs hockey this spring though that may be for the better because from the looks of it, the Marlies are the one to watch when it comes to on-ice action in Toronto.

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