Toronto Maple Leafs: 25 Years of Draft Disasters
By Robb Ellis
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 NHL Entry Draft is just one week away and as Toronto Maple Leafs fans we can’t help but be excited.
We have watched for months as Brendan Shanahan has torn this organization down and is slowly rebuilding it piece by piece. We have also scooped up every bit of Toronto Maple Leafs news we can get our hands on during that time.
Is Babcock coming to Toronto? Where will Kessel go? How about Phaneuf? And of course, who will we draft with the 4th overall pick? Will it be Dylan Strome? Mitchell Marner? Maybe Noah Hanafin or Ivan Provorov will join Morgan Reilly as the defence pair of the future?
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Whoever it is, it has become pretty evident that the player will be a “can’t miss” kind of player but should we be that confident? Just googling the likes of Alexandre Daigle, Patrik Stefan, and Brian Lawton might just change your mind. Or maybe we need to look closer to home with our very own blue and white?
Oddly enough, Cliff Fletcher, who was heralded as some sort of saviour during his first tenure with the Leafs, is responsible for five out of the ten picks on this list. Brian Burke, the man who was brought in to save the organization in 2008, made the list twice.
It is common knowledge in the hockey world that when it comes to drafting and developing young players, this organization can be given nothing more than a failing grade. Hindsight is always 20/20 but let’s take a closer look at the ten worst Toronto Maple Leafs draft disasters of the last 25 years.
Next: Draft Disasters 8-10