Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Misses: 2010s Edition

By Stephen Nixon

BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 24: Winnepegs Jets second overall pick Patrik Laine, Toronto Maple Leafs first overall pick Auston Matthews and Columbus Blue Jackets third overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois celebrate during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 24: Winnepegs Jets second overall pick Patrik Laine, Toronto Maple Leafs first overall pick Auston Matthews and Columbus Blue Jackets third overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois celebrate during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 05:   Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

#8. Zach Werenski (2015 NHL Entry Draft, 1st Round, 8th Overall)

Toronto’s Actual Pick: 1st Round, 4th Overall (Mitch Marner)

For their real selections, the Toronto Maple Leafs were extremely lucky to begin with.

With the third overall pick, the Arizona Coyotes went with Dylan Strome over Marner, so fortunately for Leafs fans they were able to get one of the most dynamic play-makers in the NHL.

However, as much Marner is one of the most skilled players in the league, the team may have been better off taking a defenseman here.

The current offensive powers of John Tavares, Matthews and Nylander should be able to carry the load, even if Marner wasn’t there. Not only that, but Werenski makes half as much as Marner, so with that money saved, the team would be able to get a player for $5 million to help with the offense.

Werenski is turning into one of the best young defenseman in the NHL. He was having his best year yet, but the shortened season stopped his momentum. Despite only playing in 63 games, he already had 20 goals, which led all NHL defenseman.

Would you rather have a good defenseman who could score 20 goals or Marner who could score 100 points in a season?

Every team is constructed differently, but with the money saved from Marner’s contract and Werenski filling a huge void in Toronto’s line-up, Werenski could have turned out to be a miss for the Leafs.

#7. Frederik Andersen (2010 NHL Entry Draft, 7th Round, 187th Overall)

Toronto’s Actual Pick: 7th Round, 182nd Overall (Josh Nicholls)

Not many people know this, but Andersen was actually drafted twice. His first go-around came in 2010 when he was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh round. However, after Andersen and the team couldn’t agree on a contract, he went back into the draft in 2012.

Despite being drafted twice, in a hypothetical world, if the Leafs selected him with this pick instead of Josh Nicholls, I’m sure they would have came to an agreement on a contract.

First of all, who is Josh Nicholls that the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted instead of Andersen? Well, he was a 30-goal scorer in the Western Hockey League that shot right-handed and seemed like a fine seventh round pick at the time. However, as time passed, Nicholls didn’t play a game in the NHL and was mostly in the ECHL before playing in Europe.

The goaltender Leafs’ fans call “Steady Freddie” was available for the Leafs back in 2010, but they decided to pass on him. Although the team eventually traded for him and he’s now the starting goaltender, it would have been nice to have him in the organization earlier.

Home/Editorials