Over the last 40 years (starting from the first NHL Entry Draft in 1979), the Toronto Maple Leafs have selected 377 players.
From those 377 players, I will be selecting 10 players who I believe are the best draft picks of all-time by the Toronto Maple Leafs. I am also going to be adding in a rule just to cut out some controversies. The players must have played for the Leafs for a significant amount of time. This means players like Tuukka Rask will not be on the list.
Also, because players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are young and have only played for two years with the team, I will be making this list with potential included.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have so-so draft history. Before Auston Matthews, they’d never picked #1 overall in a year where there was a ‘generational’ player available. Throughout the eighties they blew pick after pick. In the 90s, they made bad trades that prevented them from drafting multiple hall of famers.
And still, this list looks pretty good, all things considered. On with the show: