The Toronto Maple Leafs System Both Incredible and Underrated
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Auston Matthews 1st overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Since then, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made the playoffs every year, and developed into one of the NHL’s best and most consistent contenders.
Sure, playoff success has eluded the team so far, but that only makes it sweeter when it happens.
The best predictor of future playoff success is regular season success, and the Leafs are amazing in the regular season. Since hiring Sheldon Keefe over 200 games ago, the Leafs are one of the NHL’s top teams.
Just recently, I compiled a list of the Leafs ten best prospects, as well as their honorable mentions. While doing a deep-dive into the Leafs system, it became clear that it’s pretty special.
It’s special because the Leafs have so many players on the verge of playing in the NHL that they won’t be able to keep them all.
While the Leafs lack any sure-fire stars – the kind you can really only get at the top of the draft – they have spent the last four or five years cultivating a group of players is extremely impressive, given the fact that they have been a top team for this entire time.