At last, Toronto Maple Leafs fans have
something to celebrate as the NHL club has finally won something of note since
it last hoisted the Stanley Cup way back in 1967. The Leafs lucked out on April
30th by winning the NHL Draft Lottery in Toronto and will now select
first overall at this June’s ceremony in Buffalo. This isn’t the first time the
franchise has been awarded the top pick, but they received it by default in
1985 when they selected Wendel Clark number one overall. The Leafs finished
dead last in the 1983/84 campaign just like they did this season, but there was
no complicated lottery system in place three decades ago. This means the team
actually had to win something this year to receive their reward, even if it was
just a lottery.
Maple Leafs’ fans shouldn’t get carried
away though. If there’s any NHL team out there that could end up blowing the
top draft pick it’s surely Toronto. This is a very creative club when it comes
to finding new ways of disappointing their fans. It wouldn’t surprise diehard
Leafs’ supporters if the youngster they choose first overall doesn’t end up
being the best player of the draft a few years down the road. As it stands, it
appears Toronto will likely select 18-year-old centre Auston Matthews of the
U.S. with their pick. Matthews played
just a 36-game season this year and racked up 24 goals and 22 assists for 46
points while skating in the Swiss League with Zurich. He posted just three
assists in four playoff games though.
The Leafs still have a lot of work to do
before heading up to the podium though since there are at least two other
players who could be worthy of the number one pick. These are wingers Patrik
Laine and Jesse Puljujärvi, both of Finland. In fact, Laine was just recently
named the MVP of the Finnish Elite League’s playoffs after leading his team Tappara
to the championship. The Leafs will be able to do some more homework and
scouting on Matthews and the left-winger Laine as they’ll both be playing for
their respective countries at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championships in
Russia. If Laine is a standout at the tournament and Matthews is simply average
then the Leafs will really have their work cut out for them when deciding who to
choose.
There are several other excellent prospects
in this year’s draft following the Arizona-born Matthews and the two Finnish
stars. These defenceman Olli Juolevi (London Knights), also of Finland, as well
as forwards Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads), Tyson Jost (Penticton
Vees), Matthew Tkachuk, (London Knights) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton
Screaming Eagles). This means the eventual best player in the draft could actually be drafted anywhere from first to
eighth. The Leafs have been looking for a big first-line centre since Mats
Sundin left the team though and that’s why they’ll likely take Matthews.
There were a couple of other big winners in
the lottery as the Winnipeg Jets had a 7.5 per cent to draft first overall and
the Columbus Blue Jackets had a 9.5 percent chance. The Jets jumped from sixth
place to second overall while Columbus moved from fourth to third. But with the
talent available even the Edmonton Oilers who dropped from second to fourth,
the Vancouver Canucks who dropped from third to fifth and Calgary Flames who
slipped from fifth to sixth, could still end up with the eventual best player.
Regardless of who they take in the draft,
the Leafs are bound to get an elite prospect and it could have a big impact on
their roster decisions during the offseason. However, the team’s fans have
another thing coming if they think that an 18-year-old youngster playing about
17 minutes per game is going to turn the franchise around. Still, they have
reason to feel optimistic at least until June 24th and hopefully for
a few years beyond that.
Labels: Ian Palmer