The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is coming fast in the hockey calendar and the Toronto Maple Leafs could have an opportunity to snag a good prospect despite not having a first-round pick.
Thanks to the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Jake McCabe, the Maple Leafs do not have a first-round pick for this year's NHL Draft. Additionally, thanks to the pick they had to attach to Nick Ritchie to send him to the Arizona Coyotes over three years ago, they don't have their own second-round pick.
The pick that they do have though, is the Panthers' second-round pick after Florida acquired the Leafs' own second-round pick of last year's draft, sent the 2025 pick and attached a 2024 seventh-round pick to it, which the Leafs used to draft Spokane Chiefs defenseman Nathan Meyes last year.
That whole series of transactions has led to the Maple Leafs owning either the 63rd or 64th overall pick this year and that selection being the first time Toronto is able to make a pick. At that range, there will surely be interesting players the Leafs could take -- of course, we won't know until June 28 -- but they could get a prospect with even more potential if they opt to push some more chips in for a falling player.
It happens almost every single year. Some player projected to go either late in the first round or very early in the second, starts to slip further and further down. There are some talents available that have the potential to fall for various reasons, and if that happens for any of these players, the Leafs should use whatever draft capital possible to upgrade that 63rd or 64th overall pick and snag one of these names.
These are the prospects the Leafs should not hesitate to trade up for in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft.
Eric Nilson
Nilson is simply one of my favourite prospects projected to go anywhere after the 25th overall pick or so. He is an incredibly smart center who transitioned the puck exceptionally well in the Swedish juniors leagues this season. He also was able to earn his professional hockey debut, playing four games in the HockeyAllsvenskan for Djurgardens.
He has a strong motor and two-way game that should translate into the NHL well. All he would need to do is fill out his 5-foot-11.5 frame a little more. He's skinny, but there's potential there for so much.
Nilson would add some real solid heft to the Leafs prospect pool and easily replace what Fraser Minten was ever going to provide and then some. To grab him during this incredibly offseason should be something that we look back on in a few years as a real solid bet.
Luca Romano
In a somewhat similar vibe to Nilson but someone local, Luca Romano of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers is just someone that works tirelessly to win back possession and can do that with his above-average skating and no true holes in his profile.
If Toronto wants to get a prospect that is as dependable as anyone available but has the most important tool as his speciality (being a good skater) then Romano shouldn't be a second thought. Despite being under 6-foot, Romano has used his body to keep and protect possession this season in Kitchener, but has hunted down pucks and snatched them back for his team, as well.
Romano could explode offensively next season (like Luka Misa did this season) after being heralded for his immense two-way work. For Toronto, that's another bet on someone with a little bit of dynamism to his game but should still be an excellent two-way presence somewhere in an NHL lineup if he puts it all together. That is worth whatever it takes to trade up and secure.
Cole McKinney
There is a group of players from the United States National Development Program team this season that aren't the most exciting, but can do their job well. Will Horcoff should go earlier than Toronto can get up to, Will Moore probably the same, and that leaves us with Cole McKinney, who seems like the most viable option to be landing in the middle of the second round.
McKinney led the program in scoring this past season and while he doesn't get around the ice as well as the forwards mentioned previously, the centerman that is heading to Michigan next season, has upper-end skills in other attributes of the game. A smart player that isn't too flashy, but is still in the tier of prospects that should leave fans a little excited and looking forward to something. That's worth moving up for.
Ryker Lee
Ryker Lee is in the major boom-or-bust group of this year's draft class. The ultra-skilled winger is one of the most fun players to watch and while he doesn't skate particularly well, he has the passing vision and hands that makes you jump out of your seat.
It's not just flash, either. Lee is an incredibly smart hockey player that can read plays before they happen off of an opposing player's stick
If everything goes right for Lee, we're talking about an impact middle-six winger that can put up 50 or so points on a consistent basis. If there is any setback, then we might not see him in the NHL. There's a fairly big swing of outcomes for this player, but right now Toronto can make that bet and should be happy to pay the price for the ability to secure Lee in their prospect pool.
Alexander Zharovsky
Okay, we said Ryker Lee was fun. Alexander Zharovsky is on a whole different level. He is hockey fun personified.
Zharovsky played in an eastern division of the MHL (the Russian junior league) so there was virtually no competition for him and the defense he faced was basically practice dummies on the ice, so he was able to just show off every piece of individual skill he has all season long.
We don't even need to dive any deeper into the player. This would be the Maple Leafs making a long-term bet on an impact player that they would hold the signing rights for until he retired. If he doesn't come over until he's 23 or 24 years old like a Kirill Kaprizov, but has been lighting it up in the KHL, then that's still worth whatever it would take to get him. I'm sure an Auston Matthews in his early-30s would love to have Zharovsky buzzing around him at some point.
This would just be fun and exciting to watch someone potentially explode overseas. He's going to be playing more games in the KHL next season and who knows where he goes from there.
It's either the Maple Leafs make high-end bets on skill or just get more dependable and responsible players than what they could potentially select at 63rd or 64th overall. It should be worth it no matter what for these players.