The Toronto Marlies are bringing back two more depth players.
The club announced on Friday afternoon that they've signed Cedric Pare and Sam Stevens each to one-year AHL contracts. Both players spent the entirety of last season with the Marlies, with Pare appearing in 59 games and Stevens appearing in 21 games.
Pare played a majority of his minutes as a center in Toronto's bottom six. In 59 games with the club, the 26-year-old scored 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points, his second-highest total in the AHL since he turned pro.
The forward signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Maple Leafs last summer and became a restricted free agent on July 1. You might remember Pare because of his accidental knee-on-knee collision with Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine during preseason last September, which forced the Finnish forward out for two months.
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Pare has 39 goals and 56 assists in 207 career AHL games over four seasons. The 2017 sixth-round pick by the Boston Bruins has yet to appear in an NHL game. Pare became a restricted free agent after Toronto didn't qualify him as a restricted free agent in June.
Stevens is also a center who spent most games down the middle of the Marlies' top six last season. AHL Toronto first signed the forward after his final season (2023-24) at Boston University, where he scored 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 40 games.
The 25-year-old scored two goals and two assists in 21 games with the Marlies this past season. In 142 games at Boston University, Stevens had 26 goals and 24 points. This is going to be the forward's second pro season.
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It's been a busy couple of days for the Marlies, who revealed their regular season schedule on Thursday and made a significant number of AHL signings earlier in the week. Toronto signed Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Ben King, and Nick Rheaume to one-year AHL contracts, while also re-signing Marko Sikic and defenceman Ryan McCleary to one-year deals on Tuesday.
The Marlies also signed former Marlie Marc Johnstone to a two-year AHL contract, Ken Appleby to a one-year contract, and re-signed Reese Johnson. Toronto's regular season begins on the road on October 10 against the Rochester Americans.
(Top photo of Pare: Thomas Skrlj / Toronto Marlies)
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