The Toronto Maple Leafs may not have a truly “elite” level prospect but that doesn’t mean their system lacks quality.
On the contrary, there are plenty of solid prospects who will probably turn out to be good NHLers for the Toronto Maple Leafs in some capacity.
On top of the depth of the pool, there is no lack of quantity either.
The Leafs have spent the last half decade trading most of their top picks, but at the same time they’ve beeb drafting players for high ceiling talent and hockey smarts.
Eventually, we may see this pay-off with an unexected star or two.
Despite being a consistent playoff team, the Leafs have still made 29 picks since 2019.
Over that time, had they acquired no picks and kept all of their own, they would have made 35 selections. There has also been attempts to reconcile this difference through signing undrafted players.
This investment in the player development and scouting departments have given the Toronto Maple Leafs the ability to insert capable players into the lineup when faced with injury.
A bit of housekeeping before I dive in, just because a prospect is a “riser” or “faller” does not mean the prospect has changed places too much. It is more of a way to highlight prospects who had good and bad years.
Progression is never linear and many NHL players have had down years as prospects and went on to be good players. At the same time, many busts have had great development seasons. This is not a ranking.