Top 5 Toronto Maple Leafs Draft Picks of All-Time
As the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare to return to play, it’s nice to look at what could have been, had the season not been put on pause.
If the NHL had not been paused, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be gearing up for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft around this time.
However, the draft has since been moved to later this year, with the draft lottery have just taken place on Friday. With a qualifying round team having won the first overall pick, it’s even more fun to think about the possibility of the Leafs drafting atop the draft.
Nonetheless, as we wait for the impending season and draft, now is the perfect time to look back at some of the Leafs draft history. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the Maple Leafs’ top draft picks of all time.
Now although the Leafs have had a long history of draft picks, full of both hits and misses, I’m going to primarily be considering players who made significant contributions as Leafs, rather than on other teams.
I will be taking into account their production as Leafs, their potential and how big of a steal they were when drafted. All NHL drafts will be considered, but of course, the players chosen to this list will only include those drafted by Toronto, not by any other team despite playing for the Leafs at a later time (sorry Mats Sundin).
With that said, here are the top five greatest draft picks by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
5) Tomas Kaberle
Drafted 204th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft
First up on the countdown is Tomas Kaberle, one of the best defensemen to ever grace a Maple Leafs sweater. Drafted in the eighth round of the 1996 draft back when drafts exceeded seven rounds, nobody expected Kaberle to reach the heights he did for Toronto.
After finally joining the Leafs during the 1998-99 season, Kaberle quickly proved to be one of the Leafs’ best draft steals of all time, becoming an All-Star in 2002 and also playing in the Olympics that same year.
Kaberle spent most of his long career with the Maple Leafs, being known best for his strong two-way game. He was excellent in the offensive end, putting up a career-high of 67 points during the 2005-06 campaign, while he also maintained a strong defensive presence on the blue line.
His stint with the Leafs ultimately ended in 2011, when he was traded to the Boston Bruins. Fortunately for Kaberle, he was able to win his only Stanley Cup with Boston that year.
Afterwards, he spent a couple more seasons bouncing between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes before ultimately retiring from hockey in 2016.
Totalling 83 goals, 437 assists for 520 points in 878 games during his career with the Leafs, Kaberle has cemented himself as a Leafs all-time great and one of Toronto’s greatest draft picks of all-time.
4) Lanny McDonald
Drafted 4th overall in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
Lanny McDonald is one of the greatest players to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs and that’s rightfully so.
After being drafted fourth overall in the 1973 draft, McDonald had a slow start in the league, only scoring a total of 31 goals over his first two seasons.
But in his third season, McDonald broke out and scored 37 goals and 56 assists for 93 points. After that, he became a bonafide star in the league, including three straight 40+ goal seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Unfortunately, McDonald’s stint with the Leafs was cut short, after Punch Imlach notoriously traded away McDonald, a good friend of Leafs-then captain Darryl Sittler, to the Colorado Rockies, after failing to initially trade away Sittler.
McDonald would continue to thrive in Colorado and would eventually go on to win a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Falmes in 1989.
Despite his shortened stint with Toronto, McDonald is still one of the greatest goal scorers in Leafs history, racking up a total of 219 goals and 240 assists for 459 points in 477 games with Toronto. Ultimately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992, he definitely is one of the franchise’s best choices in a draft ever.
3) Wendel Clark
Drafted 1st overall in the 1985 NHL Draft
The first ever first overall pick in Maple Leafs history was none other than Wendel Clark.
Known for his rough style of play combined with scoring prowess, Clark was quickly beloved as a Maple Leaf and soon became a leader on this team.
Although he was traded away in 1994 to the Quebec Nordiques for another Toronto Maple Leafs legend in Mats Sundin, he would eventually return to Toronto through another trade with the New York Islanders in 1996.
Throughout his storied career, Clark captured the hearts of many Leafs fans. He was a crucial leader for the Leafs in the 90s, serving as captain from 1991 to 1994.
His production was also impressive, especially during the 1993 playoffs, in which he recorded 20 points in 21 games, and in the 1993-94 season in which he scored 46 goals and 76 points in just 64 games.
Clark ended his career as a Leaf in 2000, and totalled 260 goals and 181 assists for 441 points in 608 games with the Leafs.
He’ll always be one of the most beloved Maple Leafs players and he will always hold a very special place in Toronto Maple Leafs draft history as their first ever first overall pick.
2) Darryl Sittler
Drafted 8th overall in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft
Coming in at number two is one of the greatest leaders to ever don a Maple Leafs sweater. Darryl Sittler is the holder of many Maple Leafs records, including famously putting up 10 points in a single game–a feat yet to be broken by an NHL player.
After being drafted, Sittler had a slow entrance into the league during his first two seasons.
But by year three, he was playing at a point-per-game pace. As his stardom in the NHL grew, he became the first Maple Leaf ever to score 100 points in a season in 1975-76.
He would continue to lead the Leafs for the rest of the decade as captain of the team. His leadership skills were a crucial part of his character as well.
Let’s not forget the moment he ripped off his captain’s C after Imlach traded McDonald away, proving his commitment to standing up for his teammates.
Sittler was undisputedly the best player for the Leafs in the 70s. Over the course of his 12 year career with Toronto, he amassed 916 points in 844 games.
Although he had his ups and downs in Toronto, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, solidifying his legacy. Drafting one of the greatest players in his draft at eighth overall was one of the best choices in Leafs draft history.
1) Auston Matthews
Drafted 1st overall in the 2016 NHL Draft
You might be surprised with my choice for the first spot, but let’s remember, I’m considering potential as well for this ranking.
Auston Matthews may only be 22 and have less than four seasons in the NHL under his belt, but he has already broken a number of Maple Leafs records during his time.
In comparison to all the players listed before him, I’m not saying he’s already better than them.
But I am saying that if Auston Matthews continues to play the way he’s been playing for many, many years to come with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he can finish as one of the greatest, if not the greatest Toronto Maple Leaf of all time.
Taking potential into account, he can also surpass his current expectations and reach new heights not seen before by a Leaf.
So far, Matthews has quite the packed resume as an NHL star. In his first season, he scored 40 goals and captured the rookie of the year award easily.
After playing at over a point-per-game pace in both his second and third seasons, Matthews had his best season yet this year, scoring 47 goals and 33 assists for 80 points in a shortened NHL season.
He’s been an all-star every single season of his career so far, and with his potential, his ceiling is set very high
When looking at the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs of all time, names like Sundin, Dave Keon and Sittler come to mind.
The fact that Matthews was drafted by the Leafs and has the overwhelming potential to break many records, makes him the best Leafs draft pick ever. That could possibly change if his career doesn’t go as planned, but with the trajectory he’s currently on, things are looking very good for this #1 pick.
Next. Top 5 Leafs Draft Lottery Selections of All-Time. dark
We’ll have to wait and see how the Leafs next few drafts go. One thing for certain is that Toronto will look to add to this list of all-time greats in the future.