The term “we can’t have nice things” may have been uttered for the last time by Leaf fans following the results of the 2016 NHL entry draft.
The last time this happened, mainstream internet access was still almost a decade away from being a thing, and the Leafs drafted the legendary Wendel Clark of the Saskatoon Blades. The last time the Leafs drafted and developed a legitimate number one centre was arguably one year later when Vincent Damphousse was selected 6th overall, who went on to have a 1200-plus point career over eighteen seasons; just five of those in Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs Poised to Draft a Game-Changer
Prior to Damphousse, it was way back to 1970 when the Leafs drafted and developed a franchise centreman by the name of Daryl Sittler, who played twelve of his fifteen NHL seasons as a Leaf. The Hall of Famer put up 1121 points in his career, and remains closely affiliated with the Leafs franchise to this day.
The last great Leaf to play centre? Mats Sundin, a former first-overall draft pick of the Quebec Nordiques, who went on to have a Hall of Fame career as a Maple Leaf.
Since Sundin left the organization almost a decade ago, the team has struggled to find a way to fill the void at centre, and the results have been abysmal. Had the Leafs not traded the pick that ultimately became Tyler Seguin – a lightning rod for controversy in his own right – Toronto may have drafted that potential top-line pivot they have lacked for a full decade. Whether or not Seguin, who was traded from Boston Bruins for maturity/developmental issues, could have withstood the pressures and the scrutiny of sports celebrity in Toronto during some of the franchises’ darkest days remains debatable.
Regardless, as of last Saturday night, the Maple Leafs are now positioned to address their biggest positional need by drafting the exceptional Auston Matthews; a six-foot two-inch, 200-pound franchise centre in the making who is ready to step into the NHL and be an impact player today. Competing against men in the Swiss A League with Zurich Lions last year, Matthews put up 22 goals and 24 assists in just 36 games; good for second on his team behind Robert Nilsson, despite playing twelve fewer games. For those not yet familiar, Matthews is a powerful, intelligent and highly skilled player who anticipates the play incredibly well, with a knack for putting himself in the right place at the right time both with and without the puck. He out-thinks opponents as much as he out-plays them, and he has the physical tools to protect the puck down low and battle in front of the net to either finish or set up a teammate in a way that looks almost too easy.
“He’s extremely good at shooting the puck with his different release points and he makes those real good small-area plays, which is the NHL now…people pinch up and you get the puck to a guy streaking through the middle and he’s great at giving and taking. He dishes off and drives and that creates space.” -Marc Crawford
In short, and without all the extraneous superlatives Leaf fans are about to be bombarded with, Matthews has always been a special player, and will continue to be at the NHL level. Had he been born a couple days earlier, Matthews would have been eligible for the 2015 draft, and in the opinion of many, he could have usurped countryman Jack Eichel as the second-overall pick. He’s arguably that good.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, however. The draft isn’t until June 24th, and there is a remote chance that the Leafs either select one of Finnish power-wingers Patrick Laine or Jesse Puljujarvi, or – even more remote – trade the pick for a boatload of high-end assets to a team like Arizona Coyotes, who would undoubtedly love to welcome the Scottsdale product home.
Chances are, the Leafs announce Auston Matthews’ name at the podium and as a result, land their first bona fide franchise centre in a decade, making the Shanahan-Lamoriello-Babcock era Maple Leafs the most skilled, and the deepest Maple Leafs group ever seen on coloured television.
In six of the last eight drafts (including this year’s), the Leafs have added a top-ten selection. Those picks yielded the following assets:
2016: TBA (1st)
2015: Mitch Marner (4th)
2014: William Nylander (8th)
2012: Morgan Rielly (5th)
2009: Nazem Kadri (7th)
2008: Luke Schenn (5th)
Luke Schenn was subsequently traded for former second-overall pick James van Riemsdyk, drafted by Philadelphia Flyers in 2007, and has become an integral part of the franchise.
Without resorting to free agency, the Leafs’ core going forward could soon consist of Matthews, Van Riemsdyk, Marner, Nylander, Rielly, Kadri, and Jake Gardiner. Support players such as Leo Komarov, Zach Hyman, Nikita Soshnikov, Connor Brown, Connor Carrick, and recently-acquired Russian right-shooting 6’2” defender Nikita Zaitsev make for a deep and formidable roster which will create more internal competition at training camp this fall than Leaf fans have ever seen in the modern era, and under the tutelage of coach Mike Babcock, this could very well become the group that leads the franchise out of the doldrums of downright embarrassment which have plagued it for decades.
The biggest issue going forward is going to be deciding who plays where. Both recently re-signed Nazem Kadri and budding star William Nylander are qualified second-line centres. Matter of fact, so is veteran Tyler Bozak.
Should Kadri remain in the one-hole (assuming Shanahan and co. don’t successfully pursue pending free agent Steven Stamkos), Matthews likely assumes the 2C position, which ultimately relocates William Nylander to either the wing (not a bad option) or to the three-hole, which could quickly prove be a waste of his skill. Coach Babcock generally prefers rookie centremen to spend a year on the wing at the NHL level, but Matthews is likely the exception, based on his maturity and experience as a pro. Essentially, drafting Matthews is like putting an elite prospect in a time machine and having him come out a year older, stronger and more experienced, against adult competition at the pro level. He’s ready, by all accounts, and a potential second line featuring Matthews, possibly Marner, and Nylander is enough to make hockey fans and GM’s around the NHL envious of Toronto.
…Isn’t that something; the perennial laughing stock of the league has finally begun to emerge as a respected franchise which will soon be capable of going head-to-head with some of the league’s best.
Nobody’s planning any parade routes, but there is nothing but optimism in Toronto these days. Apparently, Leaf fans can have “nice things”.
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 02: Auston Matthews #34 of Team United States skates in a quarterfinal round during the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships against Team Russia at the Bell Centre on January 2, 2015 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Team Russia defeated Team United States 3-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
