24-Yeаr-Old Forwаrd Tһreаtens to Leаve Mарle Leаfs іf Not Gіven а Reаl NHL Oррortunіty

The Maple Leafs face a potentially difficult situation with 24-year-old Alex Steeves, who says he is prepared to leave if he doesn't get a real run of NHL games.

It's been a tough road to the NHL for Alex Steeves, who has been sensational for the AHL's Toronto Marlies during his young career, and is arguably just a little too good for the American Hockey League.

Steeves, who signed a 1-year extension with the Leafs in August, is just a couple of points shy of the all-time Toronto Marlies points record, currently held by Kris Newbury (168), and while he is admittedly excited about the possibility of becoming the all-time points leader for the Marlies, he told reporters this week that he is not interested in returning to the AHL and that his focus is on becoming a permanent fixture in the National Hockey League.

'I say with no salt or anything like that, hopefully, I never play an American League game again. But if I do, yeah, of course, I'm going to try to break that record the next time I'm in.'

In a recent article shared by David Alter of The Hockey News, Steeves revealed where he stands with the Maple Leafs, how badly he wants to remain in Toronto and what he's prepared to do if he does not soon receive a legitimate NHL opportunity.

'I would say I definitely feel like maybe, you know, I could have had more opportunities in the past. I think I'm human to think that. I've performed pretty well in the American League.

This year, I've been in a better headspace. I've come to accept that there are so many things out of my control, whether it's bringing in guys, roster limits, cap space limits-you know, I could go on and on.'

Steeves signed with the Maple Leafs as a free agent back in 2022 after completing his collegiate career with Notre Dame. Despite having many suitors, Steeves saw the best opportunity for himself in Toronto and after proving himself in the AHL, he believes that his skill set has adequately prepared him for NHL competition. While he wants to be a Leaf, he has also established that he's not afraid to leave Toronto if that's what it takes to receive a legitimate run as an NHLer.

'For me, it's kind of just biding my time and coming to accept that, obviously, I want to be here. I chose to be here, and I've been really loyal up until this point-this is my fourth year here. But at the same time, whether or not it happens for me here, I just need to focus on the things I can do. I think I'm going to have a long NHL career.

I hope it happens here. I really do, but I'm putting less pressure on myself because if it doesn't work out here, it's going to work out somewhere else.'

Steeves has played in just 8 NHL games in his young career, tallying just 1 lone assist over that span, despite being a multi-time 20+ goal scorer at the AHL level. The hope is that he can ultimately sneak into a few more NHL games this season and prove that he belongs in the NHL and steal a job from someone else in the bottom six and never look back. However, there's no guarantee that he'll get that opportunity with a Maple Leafs organization with a lot of forward depth.

Whether he stays or goes, there's no denying that Steeves has been a good soldier in Toronto over the past few seasons, and I think most are rooting for him to succeed. Hopefully it's in Toronto, but if he does decide to leave as a Group 6 UFA next summer in search of more consistent NHL playing time at such a pivotal point in his career, I don't think anyone would blame him at this point.