If the Toronto Maple Leafs win another hockey game this season, it'll set the franchise back years.
With 78 points, the Leafs find themselves tied for the sixth worst record in the NHL right now. When training camp started in September, many fans expected the team would be comfortably in a playoff position right now, but this season has been a disaster.
Whether it's injuries, coaching, or poor execution, there isn't one person to blame for where this team stands. However, if you were to point the finger at one person, it would be Brad Treliving, who's currently unemployed.
You could say that it's easier to gift the Bruins the No. 8 overall pick this year, so that the first-round pick they gave the Philadelphia Flyers next year is still top-10 protected, but the Leafs would be in a better position securing a top-five pick, as that will help their re-tool.
Whether we want it to happen or not, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies and John Tavares aren't going anywhere. MLSE will never allow the team to make such a big move and as a result, the executive team will do whatever they can to build around the edges.
Leafs need to go winless down the stretch
As a result, securing a top-five pick in this draft will speed that retool up drastically as there three defenseman who would look good in a blue-and-white jersey. Whether it's Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid or Alberts Smits, all three of those defenseman are top NHL prospects and we all know how despearetly the Leafs need a young defenseman.
Nobody is expecting any of those players to immediately become someone like Matthew Schaefer, but that example should make the Leafs desperate to have a top pick this year. The NY Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery out of nowwhere last year and secured a franchise changing player and someone who took them from the first-overall pick to potentially a playoff spot.
If the Leafs win a few more games down the stretch, it'll be extremely dissapointing to see the Bruins draft a top-10 pick, who will probably turn into a Hall of Famer. Based on the resume of how well Bruins/Leafs trades go, there's no doubt that that young prospect will be amazing.
The Leafs are in a way better position this year to secure a top pick and hope that this season was a weird down-year. With a new President, GM and head coach most likely due for 2026-27, a fresh new prospect could be all this team needs to start their retool and get back to the top of the Eastern Conference, so I'd much rather see them secure a prospect now, instead of having to wait until 2028.