Toronto Maple Leafs Are Selecting Their Own Joe Sakic

Have the Toronto Maple Leafs found their superstar Captain?

With the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs select Joe Sakic.

Or at least that’s what a former Colorado Avalanche coach said about Auston Matthews recently. A coach who has been with Matthews for an entire season while he prepares for the upcoming draft.

Not only did coach Marc Crawford compare him to the two-time Stanley Cup winner, but also threw in a few comments likening him to Anze Kopitar and Jamie Benn. Not a bad scouting report from a coach with 15 years behind the bench in the NHL, no matter how long ago those seasons were.

So let’s for a second get caught up in the hype, if you haven’t already. What if this kid born in San Francisco can be as good as the gold-medalist from Burnaby B.C.? What if the blue and white can truly get their franchise player for the next decade? If those “if’s” become reality then the Toronto Maple Leafs and it’s fans are in for something never before seen by a single player in a Leafs jersey.

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If Mr. Matthews is truly who coach Crawford thinks he can be, here are a couple of milestones that everyone should be looking forward to.

In Sakic’s rookie year(1988-89) he was almost a point per game player(62 in 70 games) and only missed 10 games. Wendel Clark, the last Toronto Maple Leafs player to go first overall, registered 45 points in 66 games. Stacking everything up, Joe Sakic and his second-coming win this round.

In 1990, Sakic participated in his first All-Star game, recording 2 assists. This would turn out to be the first in a line of 8 consecutive All-Star games. The only Maple Leaf since the league expanded to more than six teams to make that many All-Star games was Mats Sundin(9 in a row). That’s as close to a draw as you can get and most fans would be happy with Matthews having either career.

In 1996, Joe Sakic became a Conn Smythe winner. For those unfamiliar with the hardware, it is given out the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dave Keon is the first and only Leaf winner, back in 1967. We won’t even mention the prerequisite to winning the Conn Smythe.

And finally in 2001, Joe Sakic won the Hart Memorial Trophy(the league’s MVP). The last Toronto Maple Leafs player to take home that hardware was the great Ted Kennedy, in 1954-55. I think of all the droughts, this might be the second most overdue in all of Leaf Nation.

So if the Toronto Maple Leafs can take Marc Crawford’s words as gospel, they can expect Auston Matthews to shatter expectations and to end up with his name in the HOF. We should plan on Matthews rearranging his trophy room on an almost annual basis. And most important of all, he’ll need to eventually find a jewellery box for all those beautiful rings he will bring home.

Next: No Need For Stamkos

Or maybe we’re getting a little too excited about comments from a coach who hasn’t coached a playoff game since 2004. Maybe we’re all a little too excited to watch Matthews turn out to be Benn, Kopitar, or Toews.

Because after all, Matthews might turn out to be just like another former number one overall, 6’2″ centre that took the draft world by storm: Patrik Stefan – 188 career points isn’t that bad, is it?

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