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The Best Draft Class in Toronto Maple Leafs History

Toronto Maple Leafs best draft class

NHL teams build their teams in many different ways. Some construct their clubs via free agency while others do it through trades. However, the main way teams create a roster is through the NHL Draft. Most years have maybe one or two players make the roster, but some years the general manager gets it right and gets a cornerstone or two for the franchise. The Last Word on Hockey is doing the best draft class for each team with the exception of the Seattle Kraken. Today we look at the Toronto Maple Leafs best draft class.

Toronto Maple Leafs Best Draft Class: 1970

While the Maple Leafs aren’t known to have had many successful drafts prior to drafting William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews recently in consecutive drafts; they have made some great picks that have turned around the franchise in the past. In the 1970 draft, the Leafs were able to select franchise player and hall of famer Darryl Sittler, linemate Errol Thompson, as well as forward Gerry O’Flaherty, and goaltender Ron Low. This draft produced potentially the greatest Maple Leaf of all time in Darryl Sittler, as well as the tough-nosed sniper Thompson, O’Flaherty, and Low who both had successful NHL careers.

Darryl Sittler, 1st Round, 8th Overall

Arguably the greatest Leaf of all time, Sittler is still the most popular and famous player in franchise history. Most famously remembered for his 10-point game against the Boston Bruins in 1976 and his tournament-winning overtime goal in the Canada Cup, the former Leafs’ captain piled up accolades and points while being a great professional and role model the entire time. The Hall-of-Famer was also the first Leaf to score 100 points in a single season.

Sittler finished his career with 484 goals and 1,121 points, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Errol Thompson, 2nd Round, 22nd Overall

In addition to drafting their franchise player in Sittler, they also drafted his longtime linemate in Errol Thompson. Bringing a combination of speed, size, and scoring to the line, Thompson scored 43 goals in a season and had six seasons of scoring 20 goals or more.

Unfortunately, Thompson suffered a broken arm in the 1976-77 season and didn’t look like the same player after his injury. He was later traded to the Detroit Red Wings and later played for the Pittsburgh Penguins before retiring in 1981.

Gerry O’Flaherty, 3rd Round, 36th Overall

With their third round selection, the Leafs drafted right winger Gerry O’Flaherty. Although O’Flaherty played almost all of his career with the Vancouver Canucks, he still played eight seasons in the NHL and ended his career with 99 goals and 194 points. O’Flaherty would only play in two games for the Maple Leafs.

Ron Low, 8th Round, 103rd Overall

Honourable Mentions

2015 Draft Class

A successful draft for the Maple Leafs, the team selected all-star winger Mitch Marner (fourth overall) in the first round, while later selecting a good defencemen in Travis Dermott. Both Marner and Dermott are current parts of the Leafs team, and have been a factor in their regular season success to this point. Other notables from this draft include Jeremy Bracco, Dmytro Timashov, Jesper Lindgren and Andrew Nielsen.

1973 Draft Class

The 1973 draft saw the Leafs select Hall-of-Famer Lanny McDonald, as well as steady defender Ian Turnbull and Bob Neely. Both MacDonald and Turnbull went on to have fantastic careers, and Neely played almost 300 games in the NHL.

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