The Toronto Maple Leafs have hit paydirt in the NHL Draft over the last decade or so. It’s easy to look at the 2016 draft and name Auston Matthews as the Leafs’ best pick.
Yes, we can argue that Matthews could be the Maple Leafs’ best pick of all time. But beyond that, the club made some savvy choices. In 2014, the Leafs got William Nylander at #8. The following draft, Mitch Marner was selected at #4.
Then, there’s a host of regrettable drafts. For example, the 2020 NHL Draft, in which the Leafs had 12 picks, were all busts. Sadly, Toronto’s first-rounder that year, Rodion Amirov, tragically passed away from cancer. Beyond Amirov, the Leafs had a handful of later-round picks. These picks were nothing more than lottery tickets that just didn’t pan out.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best and worst draft Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks of the past decade.
Best and worst Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks in last decade
Best: Auston Matthews
Was there any other choice?
Auston Matthews has already played in over 600 NHL games for the Leafs and has amassed more than 400 goals. If he retired today, he would have a decent shot at the Hall of Fame.
Matthews also became the Leafs' 26th captain in franchise history, etching his name among NHL legends.
But if we wanted to go beyond the obvious choice, Mitch Marner, departure notwithstanding, could be considered better than Matthews, as he’s notched more points in his career. The margin is slim. Marner has 741 career points to Matthews’ 727.
There’s one other candidate that fans could point to. That’s Matthew Knies. Knies was selected in the 2021 NHL Draft, one in which the Leafs only had three picks. They had a second-rounder, used on Knies at #57, then a fifth and sixth-rounder.
That was it. One shot, and boy did it count.
I’d also like to point out that the Leafs selected three defensemen, Rasmus Sandin, Sean Durzi, and Timothy Liljegren, all of whom are no longer with the team. It’s an interesting thought experiment to consider what the team would look like today if all three were still on the roster.
Worst: Nick Robertson
I hate to pile on Nick Roberston. He was a second-rounder, like Knies, who showed a lot of promise. The Toronto Maple Leafs believed he could be a solid middle-six player with top-line potential.
He was given several opportunities to make the team, but injuries derailed much of his early career. Then, a lack of playing time under Sheldon Keefe made it tough for Robertson to crack the lineup.
Craig Berube’s arrival this past season gave Robertson a second chance. But now, he’s back to square one. Robertson is an RFA this summer, again, and only the universe knows where that’s headed.
Fraser Minten was another second-rounder who came with some hype. He was dispatched to the Boston Bruins in the Brandon Carlo trade. If he turns into a top-six center, the Leafs will have gifted the Bruins yet another great player.
Lastly, there’s Liljegren. He was initially considered a top-10 pick in 2017, but fell to the Leafs at #17. He never lived up to his potential in Toronto. His trade to the San Jose Sharks has given him a chance to push the reset button.
It’s too bad things didn’t work out for Liljegren in Toronto. He had the makings of a future top-pairing guy.