Propsect Report: Breaking Down The Leafs Top Prospects By Position

Center: Greg McKegg

Greg McKegg was last weeks spotlight for Prospect Report, you can read the in-depth break down of him here

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Greg McKegg is a smart, human embodiment of will power and sheer determination. He is a natural goal scorer and good playmaker, capable of finding his teammates in tight. Capable of playing a full 200 ft game, his defensive instincts still need some fine tuning at the pro level.

Upside: Top 6 two-way scoring forward, 20+ goals, 50+ points

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Realistic Projection: 3rd line checking center that can score

NHL Ready: 2016-17

NHL Player Comparable: Mike Richards

Overall Position Rankings: B-

Number of Prospects: 8

Number of Prospects with Realistic Shot at NHL play: 5, led by McKegg, Sam Carrick, Frederik Gauthier, Ryan Rupert and Carter Verhaeghe

Need for Position at NHL level by Leafs: Elite, top 6 offensive centers with size? Yes. Bottom 6 defensively accountable centers? You can never have too many, but the Leafs don’t desperately need them now either.

For those thinking why wasn’t Nylander here? It’s because in the NHL he is going to be a winger, not a center. Taking him away from the Leafs center position really thins it out. Even though the Leafs have potentially up to 5 NHL capable players, all of them except for McKegg and possibly Verhaeghe are going to be defensively accountable bottom 6 guys. Which is great; Cup contending NHL teams needs those guys, but the lack of high end talent hurts the score here.

Next: Right Wing