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3 Reasons Why Toronto Maple Leafs Don’t Need Their First-Round Pick

By Stephen Nixon

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 27: William Nylander is selected eighth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 27: William Nylander is selected eighth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QUEBEC – OCTOBER 26: Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in control of the puck against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on October 26, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – OCTOBER 26: Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in control of the puck against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on October 26, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images) /

#1. You Can Find Just As Much Talent in the Mid-Round

Getting the number-one draft pick is going to change your team but the 13th overall selection will not. As mentioned before, you can find just as much talent late as you can with that selection and the Leafs have shown this to be true.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have four players on the current roster that they drafted outside of the first-round:

  • Andreas Johnsson (7th Round, 2013 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Pierre Engvall (7th Round, 2014 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Travis Dermott (2nd Round, 2015 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Nick Robertson (2nd Round, 2019 NHL Entry Draft)

Not only do they have four players they personally drafted outside of the first-round playing on the team, but they have six other everyday players that they didn’t draft who went outside the first-round:

  • Jake Muzzin (5th Round, 2007 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Tyson Barrie (3rd Round, 2009 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Justin Holl (2nd Round, 2010 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Zach Hyman (5th Round, 2010 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Alex Kerfoot (5th Round, 2012 NHL Entry Draft)
  • Freddie Andersen (3rd Round, 2012 NHL Entry Draft)

Next. Should The Leafs Have Signed John Tavares?. dark

There’s more than enough ways to find talent and as we just discussed it doesn’t have to be through a first-round pick. The 13th overall selection is not going to change your team, so the Leafs will be fine.

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