The Toronto Maple Leafs have called up Calle Rosén from the Marlies. Rosén, 23, was signed as a free agent late last season.
He impressed in training camp while competing for a spot on the team as a depth defenceman. It looked like he lost out to Martin Marincin and Andreas Borgman for those jobs when Rosén was sent down to the Marlies. Yesterday, though, the team placed Marincin (who was scratched in the season opener) on waivers.
The #leafs have loaned Marincin to the AHL Marlies and recalled Calle Rosen.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 6, 2017
Now, it’s clear the move was to make room for Rosén.
Rosén’s a lefty but he can play on both the left and right sides. It’s possible that he’ll be the seventh defenceman and spend time in the press box—but it’s also possible that Babcock has other plans for his defence pairings.
#Leafs defence pairs at practice:
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) October 6, 2017
Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Rosen-Carrick
Borgman-Polak
Fulemin wrote about Rosén as part of our Top 25 Under 25 series. Here’s a quick description of the kind of player he is:
Let’s start with the good news: he can skate, and skating will get you a long way. Almost everyone speaks highly of his mobility, and you’ll notice it right away if you watch him. Rosen’s offensive game is interesting enough to scouts; he can pass and he has a dangerous one-timer. Reports on his defence are more mixed; Bob McKenzie described him as “inconsistent” while Dobber Prospects say he’s “shown strong responsibility for his own zone”; our own Katya Knappe said “he can get lost in his own end sometimes.” One of the most exciting things about Rosen is that he’s capable of playing right side, despite shooting left; obviously that opens an easier path onto the Leafs’ roster for him. It also offers him the opportunity to deploy that nasty one-timer with the inside shot, something he did well in Sweden.