#1 Auston Matthews
Believe me, I am aware that I am jumping the gun here, but Matthews is too good to not put him here. He is a franchise centreman, he has already broken not only team records, but NHL records as well. He is the first player in the modern NHL to score four goals in their first NHL game. He holds the record for most goals and points by a Leafs rookie.
In his first season he led the entire NHL in 5v5 goals, that is not an easy thing to do. Matthews is a strong skater, can keep the puck on his stick as if it was attached to a string and has one of the best shots in the NHL.
Drafted first overall in the 2016 draft, Toronto knew what they were getting from Matthews. He is a franchise player and their first since Mats Sundin. He has shown what he is capable of and he is only 20-years-old. I think a lot of people forget about how young he is because of how mature he is.
Matthews has 74 goals in 144 games. That is more than a goal every two games. For a regular player, that is very difficult, for a 20-year-old? That rarely happens. I truly believe that Matthews can be the greatest player to ever play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he is that good.
Sundin holds the record for most goals by a Leaf with 420, if Matthews keeps up his pace, he could easily surpass that. Mark my words, Auston Matthews will be the greatest Leaf of all-time. It may be too early to say, but I believe it and I believe he deserves to be number one on this list.
Be sure to check out the following EIL Draft Coverage as well:
Evaluating Every Pick the Leafs made this year
Every First Rounder of the 80s
Every First Rounder of the 2010s
Thanks for reading!