Toronto Maple Leafs: All-Time Best Draft Picks #9
By James Tanner
Welcome to the Toronto Maple Leafs All-Time greatest draft picks countdown.
Though you’d be hardpressed to find a team in the NHL with a worse drafting record – the Toronto Maple Leafs have drafted some good players over the years. We led the list off last week with #10 Nik Antropov.
Antropov may not have been a superstar, but he was one of the few players the team has drafted, developed and deployed for the majority of his NHL career. If you think you could find a better #10, please review our recent series of first-round picks and let us know where we went wrong!
If you’re interested:
Toronto Maple Leafs All-Time Best Picks #9
Al Iafrate
Coming in at #9 is Al Iafrate. Known for having one of the hardest shots of all time, Iafrate was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 4th overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to parts of seven seasons before being traded to the Washington Capitals in the 1990-91 season.
At the time of the trade, Iafrate was just 24 (and a 2 x All Star) – so it fits the Leafs terrible modus operandi to trade him just as he was hitting his prime. Iafrate was moved to the Capitals in exchange for Peter Zezel and Bob Rouse.
An article I found online, printed in 1991 and credited to B.J Del Conte, details why the Leafs felt they needed to trade Iafrate:
"Iafrate is considered a potential superstar who has failed to bloom with the Leafs.He missed several games and was hospitalized for depression in January 1989 when his marriage broke up. His ex-wife’s relationship with teammate Gary Leeman has caused considerable locker-room friction on the team."
Ah, nothing like some salacious rumours to spice up the old trade mill! It turns out that Iafrate had requested a trade. It sucks that they ended up trading their 20 goal 60 point defenseman for a defensive centre and a stay-at-home defenseman, but that’s what being a Leafs fan is all about.
During his seven seasons in Toronto, Iafrate scored over 20 goals twice, and had seasons of 52 and 63 points. After leaving Toronto, he would go on to have seasons of 45, 52 and 66 points with the Capitals before moving on to Boston and San Jose.
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Iafrate: Near Superstar
Iafrate would retire from the NHL after the 97-98 season at just 32 years old.
As far as pure talent goes, he might be the best player the Leafs have ever picked, at least before the recent sure of draft luck. If things had turned out differently, Iafrate, Clark, Damphouse, Leeman and Courtnall could have been the core of a great team. But of course, we know things did not work out that way.
Regardless, Iafrate remains one of the best defenseman in Leafs history. He is second only to Ian Turnbull in goals per game (at least among players who played a few hundred games for the team). Iafrate is 8th in all time points by a Leafs dman.
Next: Predictions for Next Season vol. 3
His final totals as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs: 472 games played, 81 goals, 169 assists and 250 points. He may have had his troubles, but he was awesome for a time, and he is the 9th best draft pick the team has ever made.
Stats: hockeydb.com and quanthockey.com