Drafting the Current Toronto Maple Leafs Roster In Their Prime

The Toronto Maple Leafs current roster is stacked with elite talent. We reimagine what a draft would look like if selecting these players in their prime.

We are going to get into a fun exercise that could potentially lead to some healthy debate. This article will explore what would happen if we used our Editor In Leaf time machine to collect all the players on the 2020-21 Toronto Maple Leafs roster in their prime and then hold a draft to allow others to pick ten of these players.

You may be asking yourself, why would we do this? With access to a time machine, there is so much more that can be accomplished. Well, we’re a Leafs site. There’s no not to worry though. Not only will we be sharing these great players but as we travel through time we will also be doing a lot of good as well, such as blocking Harold Ballard from ever buying the Leafs. We’ll pay a visit to former general manager, John Furgeson Jr., and persuade him against trading Tuukka Rask to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Raycroft. That’s not our mission right now, but we’ll make time.

Before drafting the players, teams want to consider all the same things they would if they had the opportunity to bring in any player to their organization. To run this hypothetical draft we consider many different factors. They include speed, skill, shooting, production, leadership, and longevity.

The decisions won’t be easy, especially when the Toronto Maple Leafs current collection of players has nine skaters who were originally selected in the top ten their year of the NHL Entry Draft. This includes three first-overall draft picks. Toronto even has an 11th overall pick in goaltender Jack Campbell.

We will begin, as one would, at the start of the draft. All active players are eligible, coaches and executives are not. Stepping to the podium is Leafs legend, Tim Horton, who we brought back in the time machine to announce the first pick.

First Overall Pick – Auston Matthews

The first player selected in this draft is the man with the mustache, Auston Matthews. This superstar was actually the first overall pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. The Maple Leafs took the center after he impressed playing for Zurich SC in Switzerland National League A.

There aren’t enough adjectives to praise Matthews for his body of work. He is consistently one of the best players on the planet every single year. Matthews terrorizes defenses and thanks to his quick and accurate release, he is able to snap pucks past goalies en masse.

Matthews is currently playing in his fifth NHL season. In that time, he hasn’t scored fewer than 34 goals in a campaign. He potted 40 in his rookie season, earning him the Calder Memorial Trophy. Matthews even scored 47 goals last season.

At the time that this was written, Matthews had played 326 career games and collected 343 points. That’s a point per game average of 1.05. He’s even averaging an incredible 0.59 goals per game for his career.

There is no doubt that Matthews is the sort of player that organizations can build their team around. His biggest downside so far has just been that he’s struggled to stay healthy. In 2016-17, his rookie year, Matthews played all 82 games but has since missed a total of 50 games over four seasons. Considering that that means he’s only been unable to participate in 17-percent of his NHL games, this knock-on Matthews seems unfair.

At age 23, the best may still be yet to come. Maple Leafs fans should consider themselves lucky that they are able to witness a generational talent play for their favourite team.

Second Overall Pick – Joe Thornton

Jumbo Joe Thornton is in the home stretch of his career. Having spent 23 years in the league, some may forget just how dominant he was in his prime. That’s why the Boston Bruins are still kicking themselves for trading away their captain during the 2005-06 season. He was moved nearly 16 years ago for a package of defenseman Brad Stuart, center Wayne Primeau, and left-winger Marco Sturm.

The same year the Bruins made that unwise transaction, Thornton went on to have the best season of his career. Between the Bruins and the San Jose Sharks, he recorded125 points from 29 goals and 96 assists. That was good enough for him to win both the Hart and the Art Ross Trophies. He remains the only player to ever pick up that hardware in a season in which he was traded.

That’s not the only unique fact attributed to Thornton. He happens to also be the only active player to ever have more than 90 assists in a single season, a feat he’s accomplished twice. The closest active player to eclipse 90 is Nikita Kucherov who had 87 assists in 2018-19. Thornton has been so spectacular at setting up teammates that he sits seventh overall all-time in total career assists in NHL history.

Jumbo isn’t a six-time all-star because of his passing alone. He’s no stranger to putting the biscuit in the basket. He has scored north of 30 goals twice in his career. Thornton scored 37 goals in 2000-01 and 36 in 2002-03. He’s also scored 29 twice.

This incredible player might be the second overall pick in our draft but Thornton was the first overall selection of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, he has proven himself to be a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Third Overall Pick – John Tavares

The Maple Leafs Captain is the third man to hear his name announced in this impossible draft. John Tavares is playing his third season in Toronto and his 12th in the NHL.

Just like Matthews and Thornton, Tavares started his NHL career as the first prospect in his draft class to come off the board. The New York Islanders had the honour of taking him in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. It wasn’t a surprise pick as Tavares remains one of the only players to ever be granted “exceptional status” to enter the Ontario Hockey League at age 14.

Tavares started his career well, being named to the All-Rookie team, and he hasn’t slowed down since. This productive player has never scored fewer than 19 goals in a season. The year he was limited to19 goals was only because it was an NHL shortened season. A lockout meant that the season had just 48 games.

Tavares’s best season was actually his first in Toronto. Living out his dream of playing for the Leafs was only made sweeter thanks to his incredible production in the 2018-19 season. That year he had 47 goals and 41 assists. 37 of those goals even came at even strength. At the time, there were many who pointed out that his transformation into a point vacuum had a lot to do with playing with more talented linemates than he had with the Islanders. One has to wonder just how much more impressive Tavares could have been if he played with better players earlier in his career.

Fourth Overall Pick – Mitch Marner

The pride of Markham, Ontario gets drafted fourth overall.

It happens to be the same spot that Mitch Marner entered the NHL when the Toronto Maple Leafs took him with the fourth pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The belief at the time was that Mark Hunter pushed for the diminutive forward while Mike Babcock preferred defenseman Noah Hanifin. While this narrative was debunked by Justin Bourne, Hunter is still often credited for recognizing and advocating for the London Knights alumni.

It’s hard to imagine that at the time, even Hunter had any idea that Marner would quickly develop into one of the premier players in the NHL. Marner’s vision and hockey IQ are off the charts, which helps him be such an effective playmaker.

It didn’t take long for Marner to make a believer of his critics. In his first season, he was named to the All-Rookie Team. It’s a spot he earned by posting 19 goals and 42 assists in 77 games. In Marner’s young career, his best season was 2018-19. That year, he played in every game of the Buds 82 contests, where recorded 26 goals and 68 assists for a total of 94 points. It may just be a matter of time before the right-winger breaks the 100 point threshold.

Marner is the sort of player that every coach wants on their team. Not only is he extremely talented but he can and does play in every situation. Better yet, Marner elevates the play of everyone out on a shift with him. He can make a good player look great.

Some will be critical of Marner’s placement of fourth on this list. He arguably hasn’t even hit his prime and the best is still yet to come.

Fifth Overall Pick – Jason Spezza

The fifth pick in the draft is the man who doesn’t age, Jason Spezza. He was originally drafted second overall, right behind Ilya Kovalchuk in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

To have reached the fifth spot in our draft and have a player of Spezza’s caliber speaks to the level of talent that Kyle Dubas has collected. It also means that Toronto is flush with leadership. Spezza is one of many active Maple Leafs to have been named a captain of an NHL club. In 2013, Spezza was named the eighth captain of the Ottawa Senators. His time in Canada’s capital was fruitful.

Spezza played for the Senators for 11 years. These were undoubtedly his best. In Ottawa, Spezza averaged exactly one point per game with 686 points in the same number of games. Over his entire career, including him currently playing 18th season, Spezza has recorded over 350 goals and over 600 assists. It’s impressive and potentially even Hall of Fame worthy.

Not only has Spezza had a spectacular NHL career but he’s even managed to play at a high level on the international stage. In fact, the most team success he has seen was while he wore the Team Canada logo on his chest. Spezza captured gold and two silver medals at the World Championships. He has left every World Junior Championships with a medal around his neck. He earned silver and two bronze medals at the tournaments. Spezza even captured a Spengler Cup gold medal.

Just like the previous draft picks, Spezza is still chasing hockey’s biggest prize, the Stanley Cup. He’s hoping, just like all Leafs’ fans, that this will be the year that he manages to etch his name on the mug.

Sixth Overall Pick – Morgan Rielly

Morgan Rielly, one of the Leafs  alternate captains, gets selected sixth overall. This is one spot later than the Leafs took him in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The Leafs got the rights to this cornerstone defenseman two slots behind his now teammate Alex Galchenyuk.

Rielly is currently playing in his eighth NHL season, all of which he’s done for the blue and white. The six-foot-one Vancouver, British Columbia native is about as steady as it gets on the blue line. His coaches know day in and day out what to expect and it’s nothing short of being one of the top defensemen on the planet.

Rielly isn’t an overly flashy player but he gets the job done. He uses his speed and puck movement to get down the ice quickly and help set things up in the offensive zone. At times, Rielly even looks like a fourth forward on the ice for the Leafs. He finished the 2018-19 season with an incredible 72 points in 82 games. Rielly finished fifth in voting that season for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. Mark Giordano took the prize home that year.

Rielly is trusted to play big minutes for his club. His career average is close to 22 minutes per game and last year he averaged 24:12. The mobile defenseman gets that time because he does a bit of everything. He will hit, block shots, steal the puck, play on special teams, pick up helpers, and score the odd goal. A player with his skill set would be coveted by every team in the league, which is why Toronto is fortunate to have him.

Seventh Overall Pick – William Nylander

With the seventh pick, William Nylander comes off the board one spot ahead of where Toronto Drafted the Swedish-Canadian in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Despite the undeserving criticism Bill receives online and from the media, he has been an analytics darling.

Take, for example, Nylander’s even-strength possession metrics. They’re excellent. Nylander on his career is averaging a Corsi For of 54.1 percent at even strength. That’s 3.9 points higher relative to his team. Those numbers look even better this season. He’s currently tied with his career-best even-strength Corsi For percentage of 55.7, which is 6.8 points above his team. (naturalstattrick.com).

Not only does Nylander have the ability to be explosive in his offensive output but he leads the Leafs in some specific areas. He actually led the entire NHL in net-front goals last season, exposing the myth that he’s a perimeter player.

The perception of Nylander is often skewed for a pair of reasons. The first is his salary. Due to the importance of the salary cap, judgments aren’t just made based on production and the value a player brings to their team. Instead, fans, pundits, and the media will consider a player’s on-ice performances relative to their cap hit. When Nylander signed his six-year, $45 million contract on Dec 1 of 2018, many were skeptical that he’d be worth that much. The analytics overwhelmingly shout that he is.

The other reason some look at Nylander sideways is because his point totals aren’t eye-popping. He has reached 61 points twice in his career on back-to-back seasons. Last year, he managed to hit his third-highest tally in his career with 59 points. What makes last season impressive is that 31 of those points came from goals he scored and he did it in only 68 games.

Eighth Overall Pick – Jake Muzzin

The eighth overall pick is the second defenseman to be drafted. Jake Muzzin was originally brought into the NHL when the Los Angeles Kings selected his rights in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Muzzin went in the fifth round 141st overall, well below his newest teammate Riley Nash who the Edmonton Oilers drafted 21st overall that year.

The six-foot-three defenseman from Woodstock, Ontario is the first player in our Leafs’ draft to have captured the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. He was a member of the 2013-14 Kings group that won the title. Muzzin was an essential part of that victory. The only skater on the club who played more minutes than he did was his fellow defenseman, Drew Doughty. Muzzin even had six goals and six assists in that playoff run. It’s more than Matthews has ever had in either single playoffs. To be fair, it took Muzzin 26 games to collect those points and Matthews has never played more than seven.

Muzzin continues to be an imposing figure on the ice. He’s not afraid to get physical and lay the body on opponents. Now playing in his tenth year in the NHL, Muzzin is still able to break up opponents’ plays and turn the puck around.

It’s difficult to pinpoint Muzzin’s best year because he is able to do so many different things on the ice. He was however considered for the James Norris Memorial Trophy on two occasions. He received votes for the prize in both 2015-16 and the year he was traded to the Maple Leafs, 2018-19.

The Leafs gave up their 2019 first-round draft pick which was used to draft defender Tobias Bjornfot with the 22nd pick overall. Toronto also sent forward Carl Grundstrom and the rights to defenseman Sean Durzi in the deal. Clearly, it was an excellent transaction for the Leafs.

Tenth Overall Pick – Wayne Simmonds

The final pick in this draft belongs to Simmonds, a gritty player beloved by his teammates. He is a skilled right-winger with the ability to create offense while also keeping opponents honest with his physical play.

The 32-year old from Scarborough, Ontario was originally drafted by the Kings in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He was the final pick of the round, selected 61st overall. For comparison’s sake, this was 13 slots ahead of the Maple Leafs’ bust prospect, Dale Mitchell.

Simmonds is now in his 13th year in the NHL, playing for his sixth different club. He spent three years with the Kings before he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers along with a second-round draft pick and Brayden Schenn for Rob Bordson and Mike Richards.

The swap, the first of three times Simmonds would be traded in his career, worked out for both teams. Simmonds’s best years were played in Philadelphia. He was with the Flyers for eight years where he had a pair of 60 point seasons. He even scored north of 30 goals twice.

Thanks to Simmonds’s name being synonymous with toughness, some forget just how productive the six-foot-two, 2018-19 Mark Messier Leadership Award winner has been. In Philadelphia, he had a points-per-game average of 0.65. He was even a top-10 powerplay goal-getter four times in his career.

The Maple Leafs signed Simmonds to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. They brought him to Toronto because of the tools he brings to the ice and his leadership. While he isn’t the player he once was, Simmonds has proven that he’s still a valuable contributor in the NHL.

Honourable Mention – Frederik Andersen

This draft has proven that the group assembled in Toronto has many players who have had and are having outstanding careers. Players like Nick Foligno, Alexander Kerfoot, and Zach Hyman didn’t even get a mention. Neither did the Leafs’ star goaltender, Frederik Andersen, though he just bumps out of the top ten. If there was an 11th pick, it would be used on the stopper.

With the Maple Leafs unfortunate history of goaltending, they were fortunate to acquire a steady and reliable presence in their crease way back in June of 2016. Toronto sent a first and a second-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for the six-foot-four goalie from Herning, Denmark. Those picks were eventually used to select Sam Steel and Maxime Comtois respectively.

Andersen himself was actually drafted twice. He was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 187th overall. That was the same year Campbell was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars. Two years later, Andersen re-entered the draft where he was picked much higher. The Ducks chose him with their third-round pick, 87th overall.

Andersen quickly found success in Anaheim. His rookie campaign was strong enough to earn him a place on the 2013-14 All-Rookie Team. Then, two years later, he and his goaltending partner John Gibson were awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy because they were the tandem that ensured the Ducks were the club with the fewest goals scored against it.

Now playing in his eighth NHL season, Andersen has amassed 226 wins. That’s good enough for 76th on the all-time NHL leaders list. The record belongs to Martin Brodeur who won 369 games over his 22 year NHL career. While Andersen isn’t at that level, his individual stats are still decent. In his five years with the Leafs, he had a .918 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.33.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had many remarkable players come through the organization. This group is special and it will be fun seeing exactly what they can do when the games matter most.