In recent years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have often found themselves sacrificing their first round draft pick in exchange for a hopeful, deep run in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, since the turn of the century, the Toronto Maple Leafs have actually still managed to secure a first round selection in 17 of the past 24 years.
In doing so, some may have become complete flops, such as Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy. But there have been many others that actually turned out quite well and became key contributors in the NHL as a result.
Here, we will take a look at the five best first round draft picks that the Maple Leafs managed to select since 2000, with hopes that their 2024 one this year will turn out to be just as successful.
The 5 Best Toronto Maple Leafs First Round Draft Picks in the 21st Century
Morgan Rielly
Following the era in which Tomas Kaberle had been the main general leading the Leafs defensive corps, the club struggled to find some homegrown, top-pairing defenseman talent to be his successor.
That was until the 2012 NHL Entry Draft when Toronto selected Morgan Rielly fifth overall. From there, Rielly blossomed into an elite player in the back end for the Leafs and had been leading the team ever since for the past decade.
In doing so, Rielly currently ranks third on the Leafs all-time list for defenseman in assists (392) and points (472), and a respectable eighth in goals (80).
His best season came in 2018-19 when he registered a career-high 20 goals and 72 points, while finishing fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.
If he can somehow maintain his production and remain a Maple Leaf for the rest of his career, he will have the opportunity to surpass the legendary Borje Salming and his 768 points to become the Leafs all-time leader in points for a defenseman.