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Toronto Maple Leafs: 2019 NHL Mock Draft Part 1 – Picks 1-15

By Alex Hobson

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 23: A general view of the Toronto Maple Leaf draft table is seen during the second day of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 23: A general view of the Toronto Maple Leaf draft table is seen during the second day of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – MAY 26: #24 Kaapo Kakko of Finland celebrates with the trophy after the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia final game between Canada and Finland at Ondrej Nepela Arena on May 26, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images)
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – MAY 26: #24 Kaapo Kakko of Finland celebrates with the trophy after the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia final game between Canada and Finland at Ondrej Nepela Arena on May 26, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images) /

1. New Jersey Devils – Kaapo Kakko (RW, TPS Turku, SM-Liiga)

This might be one of the hottest takes I’ve made since I started writing.

Hughes has been the consensus first overall pick in many mock drafts for a couple of years now, but over the last few months, I started to believe there might be a chance Kakko goes first overall.

At the World Hockey Championships, Kakko played a huge part in Finland’s success with a six goal and seven point performance over 10 games.

Hughes on the other hand struggled offensively and finished the tournament with only three assists over seven games. Kakko has also proved already that he can compete effectively against grown men, putting up 38 points in 45 games for TPS Turku.

On another note, Hughes skipped out on fitness testing at the NHL Scouting Combine, saying he was worried about getting injured and said it would be “like going into a test you didn’t study for.

Hughes is still going to be an incredible player, but with the Devils having found their star centre in Nico Hischier, the opportunity to pick Kakko at first overall would give them an absolutely deadly one-two punch on the top line.

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