By S. Ferguson
There is no better way to rebuild your team or add depth to your roster than through the draft. The 2023 version is coming up tomorrow so I have to wrap this series up until next year. I was afraid at what I was going to find, and it turns out I had fairly good reason to be concerned (spoiler alert, the four years after we get Auston are brutal). That said, there are some good choices here as well.
Our journey so far…
2014: Added first member of the core four
THE 2016 DRAFT:
LEAFS FIRST ROUND:
You want to hope that don’t screw things up when you pick first overall and the Leafs did not. Auston Matthews is one of the best goal scorers in the league and may be for another decade to come.
Here he is getting 60 (note the Kyle Dubas cameo)
WHO WE COULD HAVE HAD:
Look, I wouldn’t want to trade Matthews. But Calgary did pick Matthew Tkachuk with the sixth pick.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
We had two picks in the second round and kind of blew it. But in the third round we grabbed Joseph “The Wall” Woll who may just be the Leafs goalie of the future, so that could prove to be another excellent choice.
THE 2017 DRAFT
LEAFS FIRST ROUND:
Timothy Liljegren at 17th overall. I like Timmy a lot but he still hasn’t become a top defenceman which is what you should really be if you are chosen in the first round.
WHO WE COULD HAVE HAD:
How about Senators star Josh Norris or Robert Thomas of the Blues. They were taken 19th and 20th. Also, maybe look away because this one is painful, we could have had Jake Oettinger at 26.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
Complete busts. We had 7 picks in total, no one played in the NHL except for Timothy.
THE 2018 DRAFT:
LEAFS FIRST ROUND:
Rasmus Sandin at 29. I am worried about this one. Sandin has been good, not great, so far in the NHL. But he’s so young I am very worried he’ll turn into a special player and we have already traded him away for Erik Gustaffson who hasn’t worked out and a first rounder in two days.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
We grabbed Sean Durzi with the second round pick and sent his rights as part of a deal to get Jake Muzzin. I think Durzi looks great but the Kings just traded him to Arizona.
In the long run we might have a steal with Pontus Holmberg. He got sent down to the Marlies last year but hopefully he gets another chance. We grabbed him in the sixth round so if it works out it will be a steal.
THE 2019 DRAFT:
LEAFS FIRST ROUND: No pick here. Traded it as part of the Jake Muzzin deal.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
Nobody has worked out yet. There are high hopes for Nicholas Robertson though who we chose in the second round at pick 53. He only has 3 goals so far in his career in 31 games, but his brother got 46 this year for Dallas so there is hope here.
THE 2020 DRAFT:
LEAFS FIRST ROUND: Rodion Amirov was our pick at 15. Unfortunately he has had very serious health issues taking time off to get treatment for a brain tumour. The plan is that if he plays this year it will be in Russia’s KHL with his hometown team.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
We had 12 picks in this draft. So far no one has played in the NHL. However, I have really high hopes for defenceman Topi Niemela who spent a little time with the Marlies last year. He will probably start there again this year and we’ll see if that potential pans out.
THE 2021 DRAFT:
LEAFS FIRST ROUND: Traded the pick for Nick Foligno. Wow, I hated writing that.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
But this year we make up for it! Matthew Knies taken 57th overall. An absolute steal. I know we have hyped him up in the past but he seems like a real deal power forward.
THE 2022 DRAFT:
LEAFS FIRST ROUND: Traded the pick for Petr Mrazek. I hated writing this even more. I guess these years we just figured we would win the cup and stop planning for the future. Two years in a row with no first rounders. Yikes.
OUR OTHER PICKS:
These picks are all still kids so we’ll see what happens, but I really think Fraser Minten looks good. Watched him for Kamloops in the Memorial Cup and think he has a shot at being a strong addition to the team at some point. Chosen in the second round at 38.
CONCLUSION:
2016: Amazing Auston
2017: Basically a bust
2018: Another bust
2019: Bust part three. Hmm, maybe this is why we don’t have any depth.
2020: So far, no good.
2021: Knies one
2022: Too soon to say