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Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Draft Misses: 1990s Edition

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO - OCTOBER 13: Pavel Kubina #77 of the Toronto Maple Leafs handles the puck during the game against the St.Louis Blues at Air Canada Centre on October 13, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
TORONTO - OCTOBER 13: Pavel Kubina #77 of the Toronto Maple Leafs handles the puck during the game against the St.Louis Blues at Air Canada Centre on October 13, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER – MAY 8: Todd Bertuzzi #44 of the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/NHLI)
VANCOUVER – MAY 8: Todd Bertuzzi #44 of the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/NHLI) /

#4. Saku Koviu (1993 NHL Entry Draft, 1st Round, 21st Overall)

Toronto’s Actual Pick: 1st Round, 19th Overall (Landon Wilson)

Although Leafs’ fans are engineered to hate Montreal Canadiens, it’s easy to make an exception for Saku Koviu.

Koviu was the ultimate leader in Montreal serving as team captain for 10 seasons. His leadership was fully displayed during the 2001-02 season when he missed almost the entire season due to Burkitt’s Lymphoma, but returned with three games left to help his team in their playoff quest.

Koviu had 10 points in 12 playoff games and was a big reason for the Canadiens ability to defeat their rival Boston Bruins in the first round. Koviu’s courage was recognized by the NHL, as he was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy following the season.

Although Koviu was never going to lead the league in scoring, he was a consistent captain that you could relay on every night. His best offensive season came in the 2002-03 season when he scored 72 points, but every year you could count on him to score anywhere between 15-to-20 goals.

In 18 NHL seasons, Koviu finished with 832 points and 1124 career games. It’s crazy to picture Koviu without a Montreal Canadiens jersey on, but if things could be changed, I’m sure fans would have been very happy to see him in a Leafs sweater.

#3. Todd Bertuzzi (1993 NHL Entry Draft, 1st Round, 23rd Overall)

Toronto’s Actual Pick: 1st Round, 19th Overall (Landon Wilson)

In the same NHL Entry Draft that the Leafs could have selected Koviu, they also could have drafted Todd Bertuzzi.

At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Bertuzzi displayed a physical presence about him and was an exceptional junior hockey player before joining the NHL. With 54 goals in his final year of junior, Bertuzzi felt ready for the next step in his career.

However, similar to Peter Sykora who we talked about earlier, it took a few years for Bertuzzi to find his game at the NHL-level. It wasn’t until he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks that Bertuzzi would become one of the best power-forwards in the NHL.

During a stretch from 1999-to-2006, Bertuzzi was one of the most dominating players in the NHL. Paired up with Markus Naslund, the two were a huge threat in the Western Conference.

Bertuzzi’s best season came in 2002-03, when he scored 46 goals, 97 points while racking up 144 penalty minutes. His season was so great that he was recognized by the NHL and named as an NHL First-Team All-Star.

Although the Steve Moore incident derailed his career, Bertuzzi at his peak was one of the best players in the NHL and the Leafs missed the boat on not picking him in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

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