The Toronto Maple Leafs placed defenceman Marshall Rifai on waivers Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
On December 18, Rifai was loaned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a conditioning loan. The 27-year-old suffered a wrist injury during a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens and had yet to see any action up to that point, but was skating with the Leafs through December in a regular jersey.
Rifai played his first game of the season on Saturday with the Marlies in a 4-3 win over the Utica Comets, earning the player of the game belt for making his season debut. Last year with the Marlies, Rifai had three goals and 10 assists in 63 games played.
Marshall Rifai earns the belt after making his season debut with the team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/EVr1Y1Dg3c
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) December 28, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
After he was placed on a conditioning loan, there was speculation about whether Rifai would be appearing with the Maple Leafs soon, but now it appears that’s on hold, at least for the time being. If Rifai clears waivers, he will continue to play with the Marlies beyond the expiry of his loan, earning bigger minutes as he eyes a return to the NHL.
At 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, it’s not hard to imagine he’s an asset Craig Berube would like to employ down the line, especially if Toronto’s defensive unit continues to struggle and suffer from the injury bug. Earlier in December, The Leafs Nation’s Alex Hobson wrote the case for Rifai getting a shot on the Leafs blue line:
Rifai may not have the NHL experience to prove it, but he plays the style of game that Berube and most head coaches appreciate. He’s sturdy, he works his tail off, he’s strong defensively and he’ll stick up for his teammates. He won’t provide much in the way of offence, but he’s not the type of player you’ll see the camera pan to after a bad goal against and you won’t hear his name that often. For a defenceman with limited NHL experience, this is a good thing.