The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced they’ve signed defenseman Marshall Rifai to a two-year contract extension which kicks in for the 2025-26 season. The deal sees Rifai make $775,000 through the 2026-27 season.
Rifai is seen as a depth option for the Maple Leafs heading into the 2024-25 season and will look to impress new head coach Craig Berube with his hard-nosed playing style and competitiveness. It’s obvious the team is happy with his development within their organization to this point and expect to see Rifai given an extended look at training camp in Toronto.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound blueliner will be in tough to crack the NHL roster out of training camp, considering the Maple Leafs added the likes of veterans Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson throughout this offseason, however if last season is any indication, he could certainly earn himself a callup at some point throughout the year. Toronto used a whopping 13 defensemen throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
The Maple Leafs open training camp in a couple of weeks, with their first preseason action coming September 22, when they’ll host the Ottawa Senators.