What the NHL Draft Lottery Means for the Toronto Maple Leafs
By Jeff Borsuk
The NHL held the draft lottery on Monday. It’s huge news for all the teams who were contending for the top pick. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, they remain firm in their position.
The 2023 NHL mock draft gives perspective of what is to come when the general managers gather at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on June 28 and 29, including what the Toronto Maple Leafs might do.
The Chicago Blackhawks were the big winners of the night.
They went into the evening with the third best odds at the top position in the draft. That was 11.5 – per cent. The Anaheim Ducks had the greatest odds of landing the first pick with an 18.5 – per cent chance followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets at 13.5 – per cent. The top odds for a Canadian team belonged to the Montreal Canadiens at 8.5 – per cent.
Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL Draft Lottery
The Blackhawk’s are almost certain to now select Connor Bedard, the big prize of the coming draft class. There are still many more strong options available once Bedard comes off the board. And that’s not just Adam Fantilli. This will be a deep draft filled with prospects that should see their way to the NHL.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be selecting 28th in the first round, barring an insane comeback against the Panthers. It is the Boston Bruins pick that they received from the Washington Capitals from shipping over Rasmus Sandin.
The Caps received Boston’s first round selection as part of the deal for Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov. The Leafs original pick currently belongs to the St. Louis Blues. They got it as part of the exchange for Ryan O’Reilly.
When the Leafs have their chance at the podium, there could be players such as left-winger Quentin Musty available. He would be an exciting selection after recording 78 points in 53 games this season for the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL. Musty is the 14th ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
Forward Otto Stenberg who played for Frölunda HC J20 could be another realistic option for the Toronto Maple Leafs. This season in Sweden’s J20 Nationell, Stenberg collected 26 points in 29 games. His campaign saw him score 11 goals and add 15 assists. He is the sixth ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting.
Fellow countryman Tom Willander who played against Stenberg may be a defenseman the Leafs target in the first round. Willander patrolled the blue line in 39 contests for Rögle BK J20 in the J20 Nationell. He rang up four goals and 21 assists. Among European skaters, Willander is ranked 12th by NHL Central Scouting.
The player I hope remains available for the Toronto Maple Leafs is Yanic Perreault’s son, Gabe. He is a part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP). He was unstoppable on the U18 Team. In 63 games, Perreault recorded 53 goals and 79 assists for a total of 132 points.
Next. AHL Rookie Playing His Way into Leafs Lineup. dark
(Note: statistics are from Elite Prospects.)
Analysts have Perreault ranked as high as being taken just outside the top 10 and as low as becoming a second round selection somewhere in the 40s. He is the 10th ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.