Editor In Leaf
Fansided

A Toronto Maple Leafs Fan Guide to the NHL Draft Lottery

By Kyle Cushman

WINNIPEG, MB - OCTOBER 24: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs keeps an eye on the play during third period action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Place on October 24, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Leafs defeated the Jets 4-2. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB - OCTOBER 24: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs keeps an eye on the play during third period action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Place on October 24, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Leafs defeated the Jets 4-2. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 2: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on in a break against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the Scotiabank Arena on February 2, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Thankfully, the days of anxiously watching the draft lottery as a Toronto Maple Leafs fan are over.

No longer do you have to sit agonizingly on the edge of your seat as Bill Daly overturns cards, revealing one by one what teams did not have the ping pong balls in their favour that evening. It’s a tedious exercise and it’s great now that the Toronto Maple Leafs are no longer a part of it.

As Leafs fans, we know both the highs and the lows of the lottery. In 2015, Toronto was excruciatingly close from landing the first overall selection and Connor McDavid.

On the flip side, we all felt the elation of seeing the final card flip to reveal the Maple Leafs logo, handing Toronto Auston Matthews. At the very least, I know I was pretty ecstatic:

This year, and for the foreseeable future, the Toronto Maple Leafs do not have any direct stake in the lottery. So, as a Leafs fan, what should you be watching for? Who should you be cheering to win? And what’s the worst case scenario? Don’t fret: here is a definitive ranking of the possible lottery winners, from best to worst, from a Toronto perspective.

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