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Toronto Maple Leafs: The Great 2009 NHL Entry Re-Draft

By Stephen Nixon

MONTREAL - JUNE 26: Nazem Kadri poses with members of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization after being drafted during the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL - JUNE 26: Nazem Kadri poses with members of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization after being drafted during the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The 2008-09 Toronto Maple Leafs season unfortunately become another year the team missed the playoffs.

With a new Head Coach and General Manager the Toronto Maple Leafs finished with a 34-35-13 record.

As an established coach in the NHL, Ron Wilson was hired as the predecessor to Paul Maurice. Shortly after, Brian Burke joined the Leafs in what felt like an incredible move by management.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were a team with no stars and were struggling to stay relevant, having missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Jason Blake was the teams highest scorer, while Vesa Toskala was the primary starting goaltender.

There was however a little blessing during this forgetful season. After leaving the team in 2002 to pursue a Stanley Cup in Detroit, Curtis Joseph returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs to end his career.

‘Cujo’ was a fan-favourite in Toronto and is arguably one of the top-five goaltenders in Leafs history, so his return was welcome. Although his stats weren’t similar to his previous stint in Toronto, the ability to retire with his hometown team was something fans will always remember.

With another season finished and a top-10 draft pick for the second year in a row, the Leafs held the seventh overall pick.

Hoping to pick up a player to build around, the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Nazem Kadri who would go onto play 561 career games with the Leafs, including two 30-goal campaigns.

Now let’s look back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in more detail and see how Toronto would’ve fared in a re-draft. (Information from hockeydb.com).

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