Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Drafting the Current Toronto Maple Leafs Roster In Their Prime

By Jeff Borsuk

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 13: Head coach Sheldon Keefe of the Toronto Maple Leafs watches the action late in the game against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Flames defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 13: Head coach Sheldon Keefe of the Toronto Maple Leafs watches the action late in the game against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Flames defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 12
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs – Auston Matthews (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

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.

Home/Maple Leafs News