#2. Doug Weight (1990 NHL Entry Draft, 2nd Round, 34th Overall)
Toronto’s Actual Pick: 2nd Round, 31st Overall (Felix Potvin)
Doug Weight was a big miss but the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t exactly mess up their pick with the 31st overall selection.
Felix “The Cat” played eight seasons in Toronto and is one of the most beloved goaltenders in team history. He was a huge part of the organization success in the early 90s and without his skill, it’s possible that the Leafs never make it to back-to-back Conference Finals.
Despite Potvin’s success, the Leafs missed out a future four-time NHL All-Star.
Weight had an illustrious 19-year career that included one Stanley Cup and 1238 games played. Better known as an assist-man, Weight didn’t lack in the goal-scoring category either, as he finished his career with six 20-plus goal seasons.
Although Potvin was a great draft pick for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a decade of Weight could have been even more important to the Leafs success.
#1. Patrick Elias (1994 NHL Entry Draft, 2nd Round, 51st Overall)
Toronto’s Actual Pick: 2nd Round, 48th Overall (Sean Haggerty)
Arguably the most underrated player of the 1990s NHL Draft classes is Patrick Elias.
In conversations about great New Jersey Devils teams it feels that people only talk about Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer or Martin Brodeur. Sure, defense was a big contributor to the team’s ultimate success, but Elias was a key part to the team offensively.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion was extremely talented and had 10 seasons of 20-plus goals in his career. Not only that, but his 2000-01 season of 40 goals and 96 points was good enough to select him to the NHL’s First All-Star team.
In terms of Czech Republic-born NHL players, only Jaromir Jagr is ahead of him in career points. In 1240 NHL games, Elias finished with 1025 points, joining only 90 other players in history with 1000 or more points.
If Elias played in Toronto, he would have been recognized as one of the best Leafs of all-time, but by playing in New Jersey for his entire career, he’s not as respected as he should be.
It’s only a matter of time before Elias gets inducted into the Hockey Hall-of-Fame.