Why the Maple Leafs are turning to Marshall Rifai to help their ailing ...

Just before noon on Sunday, Toronto Maple Leafs skating coach Paul Matheson saw a player walking toward the practice facility ice pad and raised his hands triumphantly. Matheson knew the young player — defenceman Marshall Rifai — and knew what he could bring. Rifai has some of the best wheels in the Leafs organization and has clawed his way up from a one-year AHL contract with the Marlies to where he is now — on the cusp of making his unlikely NHL debut.

“Congratulations,” Matheson said.

“Thank you,” Rifai said with the same giant grin he’s sported in his two seasons with the Marlies before skating toward another pad to work out the nerves on his own.

The Leafs blue line is hurting. Morgan Rielly remains out while serving a five-game suspension (though he has appealed it). Mark Giordano missed Saturday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks after the death of his father and did not take part in Sunday’s practice. Conor Timmins is dealing with a bout of mononucleosis with a timeline to return.

And finally, William Lagesson left Saturday night’s game with an injury that coach Sheldon Keefe said “is going to take some time to settle down.”

“At this point, I don’t have any real sense of what our lineup will look like,” Keefe said of the Leafs’ Monday afternoon game against the St. Louis Blues.

With Max Lajoie already in the lineup, the Leafs have had to reach even deeper into the well to aid their ailing back end.

Enter Rifai, who the Leafs called up on an emergency basis Sunday.

Flashback to July 1 when Rifai signed a two-year NHL contract. It undoubtedly fell way below the radar. But quietly, Rifai has established himself as a top-four AHL defenceman whose smooth skating and penchant for physicality give him some upside.

We’re about to find out what that upside might look like in a Leafs uniform.

Rifai was signed to a one-year AHL contract in 2022 after three seasons at Harvard University. Given the organization’s connections to Harvard — 2019 draft pick Nick Abruzzese spent two seasons there and the organization frequently sent development staff and scouts to watch Harvard games — the Leafs became fans of Rifai. Former GM Kyle Dubas in particular was enamoured by him and pushed to sign him.

Rifai stormed out of the gate in his first season with the Marlies and was hard to miss. He was eager to use his 6-foot-2 frame to go for the body whenever possible. That approach and fearlessness could suit him in a third-pair role with the Leafs. And if he can use his stride to skate the puck out of trouble in limited minutes here and there, even better.

Early on in his tenure in the organization, his speed stood out.

“(Rifai) is maybe one of the best skaters in the entire organization,” Leafs assistant general manager of player development Hayley Wickenheiser told The Athletic in January 2023. “He’s physically explosive (and) powerful, covers a lot of ice and has got a good shot. He’s tough.”

The Leafs called up Rifai on an emergency basis Sunday. (Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)

But even with his skating and physicality, the professionalization of his entire game has been a work in progress.

“Marshall’s ability when he first came to Harvard was all about risk,” Harvard assistant coach Jim Tortorella said in 2022. Rifai relied too heavily on his burning foot speed, which put him in dangerous spots on the ice.

In the middle of his first professional season, Rifai’s game went up and down. He looked like the type of defenceman who wanted to lay out a massive hit instead of making the safe play.

“The challenge for Marshall is to do what we’re trying to get (Marlies defenceman Mikko Kokkonen) to do which is to make the right play nine times out of 10, consistently make good use of his hockey sense to not have gaps in his game where he can be trusted in and out every shift,” Wickenheiser continued. “And I think if (Rifai) simplifies his game, and he becomes a reliable puck-moving defender, the rest of his game will slowly open up, versus (him) trying to do too much or overthink a situation. It’s one of the hardest things I find that defencemen at this level have: The challenge is to do less. Less is almost more sometimes on the ice coming from college. But certainly physically, he has all the tools.”

Yet Rifai has turned a corner in the second half of the Marlies season and come into his own as a trusted AHL defenceman. And that rapid progress and understanding of how to play a smarter, NHL-ready game has turned the Leafs onto him of late.

Behind the scenes, the Marlies have been pleased with how Rifai has upped the ante in terms of his work ethic. There were moments during Leafs training camp and preseason when his decision-making looked questionable, but over the last few months, Rifai has had uncharacteristically long meetings with the Marlies coaching staff and management in hopes of cleaning up his game. Being receptive to feedback and then being able to apply it on the ice has separated him from the pack.

Through 34 games with the Marlies this season, Rifai has two goals, 11 points and 48 penalty minutes, tops among all Marlies defencemen. Rifai had long conversations with both Rielly and Keefe after practice on Sunday, ostensibly as a means to help prepare him for a possible NHL debut.

“I won’t change too much and do what’s gotten me here: defend, skate and try to be physical,” Rifai said on Sunday.

Those efforts have earned him the trust of the organization. And now the Leafs coaching staff is hoping that upward trajectory and increased confidence will propel him should a spot lower in the lineup become available.

“We like the player in his time spent with us through training camp and preseason. But he’s done a really good job there with the Marlies. They’ve been really happy with his development as he’s settled in here. But also, he’s got some NHL attributes to him. He skates extremely well. He moves around the ice, closes space very well. He’s physical. He’s a competitor,” Keefe said. “With the uncertainty with our defencemen that we have right now, we needed an extra body. So, the organization felt that he was the guy that made sense.”

It remains to be seen how much Rifai plays on this upcoming road trip. But Rifai’s call-up is still a reminder that player development matters to the Leafs, even with the departure of Dubas. Because it just as easily could have been Kokkonen getting called up. Kokkonen struggled with his confidence last season and spent time in the ECHL, but the Marlies and Leafs had faith in Kokkonen, just as they did in Rifai, and worked with him to help carve out a role.

“(Dubas) has created a merit-based organization,” Rifai said in 2022. “He doesn’t care what deal you’re on, what your name is. You come in, and you have a fresh slate. It makes everyone better.”

Now, Rifai has carved out a new role for himself. After a season spent on an AHL contract, he looks like he could be an NHL player soon enough.

(Photo: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)