The Leafs made the decision to trade back from their first round selection, #23 overall, to garner more picks in this years draft. They trade pick #23 to the Anaheim Ducks, for #31 and #58 in this year draft. Considering the fact that they didn’t have a 2nd or 3rd round selection this year, nor do they have a pick above the 5th round next year, it’s tough to argue with that move. Good prospects generally come from rounds 1-3 and the Leafs have been giving away that quality of pick like candy for years now.
Myself and a large contingent of Leafs nation wouldn’t mind so much, but with a single Round 2 appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs since the “Core Four” era began, it was all for nothing and that’s pretty aggravating.
Adding to the sting of having to move back is the fact that Stian Solberg, who was selected by Anaheim at #23, had a scouting report that made him sound like an ideal addition to the prospect pool. The sting didn’t last however, as Director of Amateur Scouting, Wes Clark, picked a prospect that sounds like he could be everything Solberg is and more.
Ben Danford
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 200lbs
The skinny on Danford is that he’s a smooth skating defender that plays an aggressive, defense first style of game. Most view him as a two-way defender, but he opts for the right defensive play over cheating for offense 100% of the time. With his size and strength he makes life very hard on opponents in the corners and in front of the net. He can lay big hits and will pick up for his teammates, which are qualities that have been missing from the Leafs’ draft table for far too long. He’s a fierce competitor, a smart defender and a leader on and off the ice. The fact that he grew up a Leafs fan is just icing on the cake.
A few links and videos:
The book is out on what the Leafs want to add at the draft and I have to be honest, I LOVE what they’re doing. The buzz words are all the same with their picks and always include intelligence and hard working. I’ve never been this confident in the Leafs’ ability at the draft table and if these guys actually start panning out they should make Wes Clark the highest paid Director of Amateur Scouting in the world…… by a lot.
So, what now?
Well, one thing is for certain, the Leafs will be active today. Rounds 2-7 will be held starting at 12:30pm, Prince Edward Island time and they currently hold 7 more selections in the draft. With a 2nd, 4th, three 5ths and a 7th, they will be introducing a few new names into the Leafs organization.
With that said, now that they hold a 2nd round selection and got their guy on day one of the draft, I wonder if they’ll attempt to trade their 2nd round pick for more immediate help. The goaltending market has taken a hit over the past few days. With Linus Ullmark, Darcy Kuemper and Jacob Markstrom having switched teams via trade and Juuse Saros signing an 8 year extension with the Nashville Predators, there aren’t many top names available at this time. One goalie that may fit what the Leafs want is 26 year old Filip Gustavsson. With a 0.899SV% and 3.06GAA over 45 games with the Minnesota Wild this season, Gustavsson wouldn’t be the sexiest pick out there, but he’s young, he’s healthy, he has untapped potential and he’s signed for 2 more seasons with a caphit of $3.75M. Personally, I’m not sold on him being worth a 2nd alone, so this could be a case of the Leafs trading a 2nd for Gustavsson and a lower pick in this years draft, or even picking up a selection in 2025 instead, but my trade valuation is always off, so there’s that.
If they do keep #58 and use it, here are a few names that are still out there that may interest the Leafs:
Charlie Elick: Elick won’t likely fall all the way to #58, but if he does and the Leafs want to double down on physical right shot defenders, then this is their guy.
Lucas Pettersson: You can’t win without good centres and Pettersson could be a very good centre. He’s a two-way, penalty killing, solid skating, all situations player that skates well and has a high hockey IQ. He could be a 2C in the NHL that’s used in tough matchups.
Lets hurry this up a little bit, shall we.
Jesse Pulkkinen: Monstrous defender (6’6″ 220lbs)
John Mustard: A centre that’s always ahead of the play, he never has to ketchup….. get it!! KETCHUP!! HIS NAME IS MUSTARD!!!
Adam Kleber: Monstrous defender (6’5″ 215lbs)
Will Skahan: Monstrous defender (6’4″ 215lbs)
Adam Jecho: Monstrous defender (6’5″ 200lbs)
Gabriel Eliasson: Monstrous defender (6’6″ 205lbs)
Matvei Shuravin: Monstrous defender (6’4″ 218lbs)
Spencer Gill: Lanky defender, brings some offense (6’3″ 185lbs)
Colin Ralph: Monstrous defender (6’4″ 226lbs)
Julius Miettinen: Big centre, strong defense, bull on skates, good playmaking (6’3″ 200lbs)
This is the draft of the huge defender, so if Brad Treliving wants to keep adding this type to the organization he has a prime opportunity. With that said, I have a knack for not naming who the Leafs actually take, so it’s unlikely they pick any of these guys. Whoever they do take, I’m excited to learn about what they can bring to the table.
I’ll end this one with some odd news:
I’ve been pretty steadfast in my belief that the Leafs won’t trade Marner until after his signing bonus is paid on July 1st, so I can’t say that “trade watch” has been in full flight. However, I have been fully expecting the Leafs to trade Mitch Marner this summer and am now wondering exactly what’s going on there. I realize that keeping him and having a more positive cap outlook is possible. John Tavares’ contract is up after next season and he’ll take a pay cut, with some believing it could be a substantial drop of up to 50% of his current 11M caphit. With that cut in pay and the cap on the rise again, the Leafs should be able to build a more well rounded team moving forward, even with Marner in the fold. However, they need a change on and off the ice and Marner does appear to be a good place to start. It’s not personable, it’s simply business, but I think the Leafs are making the wrong decision if they re-sign Mitch.
If he is back in Toronto next year with an extension in hand I’ll cheer for him to do well and hope that he proves everybody wrong. I just hope he realizes that he isn’t a god and he needs to start putting the work in on the ice during the playoffs. That’s all Leafs Nation is asking for.