More than a little while ago now (this past summer), Scott Wheeler (of PPP, etc.) claimed that Mitch Marner might be the most talented hockey player ever drafted by the Maple Leafs. And now that the Leafs have the #1 overall pick for the first time in over 30 years, Marner might be only the second most talented player to be drafted by the Maple Leafs. (One can hope!) I have no idea whether or not these talent assessments are true – and don’t necessarily believe it can be verified – but it got me wondering, who is the best draft pick in Leafs history?
I have limited myself to skaters, since comparing goalies to skaters is a fool’s errand, so there will be no discussion of Palmateer, Potvin or Rask in the following.
Also, though I don’t want to penalize injured players, we have to set some kind of minimum, so we’re only including skaters who have played 500 NHL regular season games (i.e. slightly more than 6 full NHL seasons). I understand that there are a number of players who have yet to play 500 games who might some day make this list, but I don’t think 6 full seasons is too much to ask before considering players to have had decent careers.
Trivia question: Which Leafs draft pick has played the most games ever?
Answer: Luke Richardson!
That gives you a sense of where we’re headed…
To see my methodology, go to the bottom.
33. Laurie Boschman, C, drafted 9th overall in the 1979 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 8th in Games
- 11th in Goals
- 18th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 10th in Assists
- 20th in APG (min 500 games)
- 9th in Points
- 21st in PPG (min 500 games)
- 16th in Adjusted Points
- 28th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 37th in Point Shares
- 42nd in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (125 players):
- 16th in Games
- 19th in Goals
- 19th in Assists
- 18th in Points
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 187 games with the Leafs, Boschman was traded for Walt Poddubny around the 1982 trade deadline
- After 186 games (over 4 and a bit injury-riddled seasons), Poddubny was traded to the Rangers in the 1986 off-season
Boschman had a long but relatively undistinguished career; he was never a star.
32. Kenny Jonsson, D, drafted 12th overall in the 1993 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 34th in Games
- 51st in Goals
- 49th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 29th in Assists
- 25th in APG (min 500 games)
- 33rd in Points
- 34th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 32nd in Adjusted Points
- 30th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 16th in Point Shares
- 10th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (286 players):
- 29th in Games
- 34th in Goals
- 26th in Assists
- 29th in Points
Awards:
- 1st Team All Rookie
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Plus Minus once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he got away: After 89 games with the Leafs, Jonsson was traded with Sean Haggerty, Darby Hendrickson and Toronto’s 1st Round Pick in 1997 (which became Roberto Luongo, oof) for Wendel Clark, Mathieu Schneider and D.J. Smith around the 1996 trade deadline
- Clark left as a free agent in 1998 after 125 games
- Schneider got hurt and missed most of the next season and was eventually traded for the rights to Alexander Karpovtsev and a 4th Round Pick in 1999 after 115 games with the Leafs
- D.J. Smith played 11 games with the Leafs and spent most of his time in the AHL before being traded for Marc Moro in 2002
Jonsson had a decent career, averaging over 24:11 ATOI for the Islanders between when they started tracking ice time and when he decided to remain in Sweden after the 2004-05 lockout. But his NHL career wasn’t great for a Top 15 draft pick and there were a lot better picks in retrospect (though most came much later in the draft).
I don’t know how harshly we should judge the trade – though it certainly wasn’t good – as nobody could have known Luongo would have turned into the goalie he turned into. (On the other hand, a 4th overall pick is a 4th overall pick, and the Leafs were a pretty average team to be making trade deadline moves.)
31. Al Iafrate, D, drafted 4th overall in the 1984 Entry Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 23rd in Games
- 22nd in Goals
- 24th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 12th in Assists
- 13th in APG (min 500 games)
- 18th in Points
- 19th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 19th in Adjusted Points
- 23rd in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 6th in Point Shares
- 5th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (250 players):
- 27th in Games
- 18th in Goals
- 19th in Assists
- 17th in Points
Awards:
- 2nd Team All Star once
- 4 All Star Game appearances
Leader boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 472 games with the Leafs, Iafrate was traded for Peter Zezel and Rob Rouse
- Rouse left as a free agent after 237 games for the Leafs
- Zezel was traded as compensation for signing Mike Craig, after playing 207 games for the Leafs
Iafrate was one of the premier offensive defencemen of his era, but unless I skew my rating system to focus specifically on that skill, he still didn’t have the kind of career you would hope for from a 4th overall pick.
30. Todd Gill, D, drafted 25th overall in the 1985 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 9th in Games
- 43rd in Goals
- 43rd in GPG (min 500 games)
- 18th in Assists
- 31st in APG (min 500 games)
- 27th in Points
- 37th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 24th in Adjusted Points
- 35th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 9th in Point Shares
- 22nd in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (250 players):
- 18th in Games
- 27th in Goals
- 21st in Assists
- 24th in Points
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 639 games with the Leafs, Gill was traded for Jamie Baker and a 5th Round pick in the 1996 Draft on the day of the draft
- Baker played 71 games for the Leafs before leaving as a free agent in 1998
- The pick never materialized into an NHL player
Gill had an excellent career for a second round pick and, though Iafrate was more talented and had more offensive success, it was Gill who turned out to have the more successful career over the long-term, despite being drafted well after Iafrate.
29. Tie Domi, RW, drafted 27th overall in the 1988 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 7th in Games
- 32nd in Goals
- 37th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 41st in Assists
- 49th in APG (min 500 games)
- 37th in Points
- 47th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 35th in Adjusted Points
- 47th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 50th in Point Shares
- 51st in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (252 players):
- 12th in Games
- 18th in Goals
- 23rd in Assists
- 21st in Points
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None (I do not recognize Penalties in Minutes as a legitimate stat)
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: Again, not one I recognize.
How he Got Away:
- The First Time: After 2 games with the Leafs, Domi was traded with Mark LaForest for Greg Johnston in the 1990 off-season
- Johnston played 4 games for the Leafs, so oof
- Domi was reacquired in 1995 for Mike Eastwood and Toronto’s 1993 3rd Round pick (Brad Isbister) at the 1995 trade deadline
- The Second Time: after a further 539 games with the Leafs, Domi was traded for Nashville’s 8th round pick at the 2003 draft in the 2002 off-season right before he became a free agent, and then he immediately re-signed with the Leafs and eventually retired a Leaf
Provided we ignore PIM, Domi’s career was not remarkable but it was remarkable for a second round pick. Yes, he was a fan favourite and there are many people who would argue that what Domi did was necessary. Really all I care about is his work for Comwave.
28. Nik Antropov, C/LW, drafted 10th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 26th in Games
- 17th in Goals
- 19th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 17th in Assists
- 19th in APG (min 500 games)
- 17th in Points
- 26th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 13th in Adjusted Points
- 9th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 3rd in Plus Minus
- 17th in Point Shares
- 18th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (258 skaters):
- 21st in Games
- 12th in Goals
- 14th in Assists
- 15th in Points
- 4th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 509 games with the Leafs, Antropov was traded for the Rangers’ 2nd Round pick in 2009 before his contract expired
- The 2nd Round pick did not result in a NHL player
Antropov was the Leaf’s highest draft pick between Brandon Covery in 1992 (not on this list because he played 72 games) and Luke Schenn in 2008 (not on this list for obvious reasons). He frustrated us with his inconsistencies but his career was not awful, just not great for a Top 10 pick.
27. Jim McKenny, D, drafted 17th overall in the 1963 Amateur Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 43rd in Games
- 44th in Goals
- 32nd in GPG (min 500 games)
- 22nd in Assists
- 11th in APG (min 500 games)
- 28th in Points
- 23rd in PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player (once they started tracking)
- 31st in Adjusted Points
- 21st in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 13th in Point Shares
- 2nd in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (21 players):
- 5th in Games
- 5th in Goals
- 3rd in Assists
- 4th in Points
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game appearance
Leader boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How He Got Away: After 594 games with the Leafs (and being sent down to the minors), McKenny was traded for cash and the rights to Owen Lloyd in the 1978 off-season
- Lloyd was a WHA player and never played for the Leafs.
McKenny had a decent career but hardly a great one. He did so well compared to his draft class because the draft at the time was only for players who hadn’t yet been signed by an NHL team.
26. Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams, LW, drafted 31st overall in the 1974 Amateur Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 12th in Games
- 9th in Goals
- 16th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 16th in Assists
- 28th in APG (min 500 games)
- 13th in Points
- 24th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 18th in Adjusted Points
- 29th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 35th in Point Shares
- 39th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (247 players):
- 6th in Games
- 9th in Goals
- 17th in Assists
- 14th in Points
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game appearance
Leader Boards: None (I do not recognize Penalties in Minutes as a legitimate stat)
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None (I do not recognize Penalties in Minutes as a legitimate stat)
How He Go Away: After 407 games with the Leafs, Williams was traded with Jerry Butler for Rick Vaive and Bill Derlago (score!) before the 1980 trade deadline
- Derlago played 378 games for the Leafs (the most he played for any team in his career) until he was traded in the 1985 off-season for Tom Fergus
- Vaive played 534 games for the Leafs (the most he played for any team in his career) and was the Leafs’ offensive star for most of the ’80s until he was traded with Steve Thomas for Ed Olczyk and Al Secord during the 1987 off-season.
Williams’ fame has nearly everything to do with PIM. He did have some offensive flair though and was one of the better players drafted in the later rounds in his draft class.
The trade was highway robbery for the Leafs even if the Canucks had much more immediate success than the Leafs – a (skilled) goon and a role player for one of the great goal-scorers in Leafs history and another top 6 forward; pretty good, pretty good.
25. Sergei Berezin, drafted 256th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 54th in Games
- 21st in Goals
- 7th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 47th in Assists
- 35th in APG (min 500 games)
- 30th in Points
- 22nd in PPG (min 500 games)
- 30th in Adjusted Points
- 11th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 28th in Point Shares
- 14th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (286 players):
- 41st in Games
- 13th in Goals
- 24th in Assists
- 19th in Points
Awards:
- 1st Team All Rookie
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How He Got Away: After 357 games with the Leafs, Berezin was traded for Mikael Renberg in the 2001 off-season
- Renberg played 197 games for the Leafs and remained in Sweden after the lockout
Berezin was one of the best late round draft successes for the Leafs, drafted in the 10th round and having reasonable NHL success. And the trade worked out well for the Leafs as Berezin never had more success than he had with the Leafs.
24. Errol Thompson, LW, drafted 22nd overall in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 44th in Games
- 14th in Goals
- 5th in GPG
- 31st in Assists
- 23rd in APG
- 25th in Points
- 10th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 26th in Adjusted Points
- 17th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 33rd in Point Shares
- 29th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (115 players):
- 16th in Games
- 6th in Goals
- 12th in Assists
- 8th in Points
Awards: None
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Goals once
- Top 10 in GPG once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 365 games with the Leafs, Thompson was traded with Toronto’s 1978 1st and 2nd Round picks (Brent Peterson and Al Jensen, respectively) and their 1980 1st (Mike Blaisdell) for Dan Maloney and Detroit’s 1980 2nd Rounder pick (Craig Muni, see below) at the 1978 trade deadline
- Maloney played 270 games for the Leafs and retired in 1982
Thompson had a good career for a 2nd Round pick though he was lucky enough to play with two other players much higher up on this list. That trade might have hurt without the playoff run that resulted and the fact that the Leafs did much better on their one pick than Detroit did with their three.
23. Yanic Perreault, C, drafted 47th overall in the 1991 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 17th in Games
- 8th in Goals
- 11th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 19th in Assists
- 22nd in APG (min 500 games)
- 12th in Points
- 16th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 8th in Adjusted Points
- 10th in Adjusted PPG
- Minus player
- 11th in Point Shares
- 17th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (264 players)
- 17th in Games
- 10th in Goals
- 16th in Assists
- 15th in Points
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game appearance
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away:
- First Time: After 13 games with the Leafs, Perreault was traded for Los Angeles’ 1996 4th Round pick in the 1994 off-season (oops)
- The pick was traded to Philadelphia, I don’t know who for
- Perreault was reacquired by the Leafs at the 1999 trade deadline for Jason Podollan and Toronto’s 3rd Round pick in the 1999 draft
- Second Time: After a further 146 games with the Leafs, Perreault left as a free agent in 2001
- Perreault was reacquired at the 2007 trade deadline with Phoenix’s 5th Round pick in 2008 (didn’t result in an NHL player) for Brendan Bell and Toronto’s 2nd Round pick in 2008 (Roman Josi, oof)
- Third Time: Perreault left as a free agent in the 2007 off-season
Perreault had a pretty good career for a 3rd Round pick, and was a personal favourite of mine in the early late ’90s/early 2000s due to his face-off prowess. (I may have ignored his other faults as a player.)
22. Gary Leeman, RW, drafted 24th overall in the 1982 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 37th in Games
- 15th in Goals
- 9th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 20th in Assists
- 12th in APG (min 500 games)
- 16th in Points
- 9th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 20th in Adjusted Points
- 15th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 29th in Point Shares
- 30th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (252 players):
- 26th in Games
- 12th in Goals
- 16th in Assists
- 15th in Points
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game appearance
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Goals once
- Top 10 in GPG once
Championships:
- Role player on one Champion (’93 Canadiens)
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 545 games with the Leafs, Leeman was traded with Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michael Petit and Jeff Reese for Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Kent Manderville Ric Nattress and Rick Wamsley
- Gimour, of course, became perhaps the greatest Leaf forward in history (depending upon your perspective), after 392 games he was traded with Dave Ellett for Alyn McCauley, Jason Smith and Steve Sullivan before the 1997 trade deadline
- Macoun played 466 games for the Leafs before being traded for Tampa Bay’s 1998 4th Round pick (Alexei Ponikarovsky, see below) at the 1998 trade deadline
- Manderville played 136 games for the Leafs until he was traded for Peter White and Edmonton’s 1996 4th Round pick in December 1995
- Nattress played 36 games for the Leafs and left as a free agent that summer
- Wamsley played 11 games for the Leafs and retired in the summer of 1993
Leeman had a decent career for a 2nd round pick but the Leafs absolutely traded high on his one excellent season and go the best of that trade and then some.
21. Walt McKechnie, C, drafted 6th overall in the 1963 Amateur Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 13th of Games
- 12th in Goals
- 20th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 8th in Assists
- 10th in APG (min 500 games)
- 8th in Points
- 12th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 12th in Adjusted Points
- 19th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 24th in Point Shares
- 36th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (21 players):
- 1st in Games
- 2nd in Goals
- 2nd in Assists
- 2nd in Points
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How He Got Away: Before playing a single game for the Leafs, McKechnie was traded for Steve Witiuk in the 1967 off-season
- Witiuk was a career minor-leaguer and never played for the Leafs (oof).
McKechnie became a decent player later in his career but easily could have been viewed as a bust (if such a concept existed back then, since he was drafted in the inaugural draft) until he was in his mid ’20s.
20. Fredrik Modin, LW, drafted 64th overall in the 1994 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 16th in Games
- 10th in Goals
- 14th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 27th in Assists
- 34th in APG (min 500 games)
- 19th in Points
- 25th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 15th in Adjusted Points
- 18th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 18th in Point Shares
- 27th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (286 players):
- 11th in Games
- 9th in Goals
- 14th in Assists
- 12th in Points
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game appearance
Leader Boards:
- Top 5 in Plus Minus once
Championships:
- Top 3 Forward on one Champion (’04 Lightning)
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 217 games, Modin was traded for Cory Cross and Tampa Bay’s 2001 7th Round pick (not an NHL player) during the 1999 off season (oof)
- Cross played 162 games for the Leafs, and left as a free agent in 2002
Modin was the best pick in his draft for the Leafs by a long shot, and the best pick they had since Mironov. Unfortunately, Modin played his best years for the Lightning.
19. Dmitri Mironov, D, drafted 160th overall in the 1991 Entry Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 47th in Games
- 59th in Goals
- 38th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 28th in Assists
- 16th in APG (min 500 games)
- 35th in Points
- 28th in PPG
- 34th in Adjusted Points
- 26th in Adjusted PPG
- 15th in Plus Minus
- 21st in Point Shares
- 6th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (264 players):
- 39th in Games
- 36th in Goals
- 22nd in Assists
- 25th in Points
- 15th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader boards: None
Championships:
- 6th D (by points) on one Champion (’98 Red Wings)
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 175 games, Mironov was traded with Toronto’s 1996 2nd Round pick (not an NHL player) for Larry Murphy in the 1995 off season
- Murphy played 151 games for the Leafs and was traded to Detroit for future considerations (oof) at the 1997 trade deadline
Mironov was the first late round drafting success the Leafs had in decades. Without ice-time it’s hard to fully grasp how much of a success that was, but it was still more of a success than they’d had in some time.
18. Danny Markov, D, drafted 223rd overall in the 1995 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 51st in Games
- 75th in Goals
- 48th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 52nd in Assists
- 38th in APG (min 500 games)
- 60th in Points
- 43rd in PPG (min 500 games)
- 44th in Adjusted Points
- 42nd in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 5th in Plus Minus
- 31st in Point Shares
- 20th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (234 players):
- 26th in Games
- 32nd in Goals
- 21st in Assists
- 27th in Points
- 8th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 200 games for the Leafs, Markov was traded for Travis Green, Craig Mills and Robert Reichel in the off season of 2001
- Green played 181 games for the Leafs until he was waived in October 2003
- Mills never played for the Leafs but did play for the AHL team prior to retiring in 2003
- Reichel played 228 games for the Leafs; he remained in the Czech Republic after the lockout
Markov was among my favourite Leafs when I got back into hockey in the late ’90s. I loved his style of play at the time. He is one of the Leafs’ late-round successes. And one of the few times that the Leafs traded away a good player for a haul.
17. Luke Richardson, D, drafted 7th overall in the 1987 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 1st in Games
- 72nd in Goals
- 53rd in GPG (min 500 games)
- 33rd in Assists
- 52nd in APG (min 500 games)
- 46th in Points
- 53rd in PPG (min 500 games)
- 40th in Adjusted Points
- 53rd in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus Player
- 20th in Point Shares
- 38th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in draft (252 players):
- 3rd in Games
- 30th in Goals
- 18th in Assists
- 24th in Points
Awards: None
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in DPS once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards:
- 31st in Games Played
How he Got Away: After playing 299 games with the Leafs, Richardson was traded with Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing and Scott Thornton for Glenn Anderson, Craig Berube and Grant Fuhr in the 1991 off-season
- Anderson played 221 games for the Leafs until he was traded with Toronto’s 1994 4th Round pick (not an NHL player) and the rights to Scott Malone for Mike Gartner at the 1994 trade deadline
- Berube played 40 games for the Leafs until he was traded away with Gary Leeman in 1992 (see above)
- Fuhr played 38 games for the Leafs until he was traded with Toronto’s 1995 5th Round pick (not an NHL player) for Dave Andreychuk, Daren Puppa and Buffalo’s 1993 1st Round pick (Kenny Jonsson) in February 1993 (wow)
Richardson lasted a long time in the NHL, which is why he is so far up on this list. Ice-time has only been tracked since he was in his late 20s and we can see he vacillated between being an important player (on bad) teams and a depth player.
Though the trade worked out well for the Leafs in the end, it’s hard to know what anyone who made it was thinking on the Leafs side; trading young players (one of whom will appear way higher up on this list) for veterans when the Leafs were manifestly terrible doesn’t make a lot of sense.
16. Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW, drafted 87th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 35th in Games
- 26th in Goals
- 21st in GPG (min 500 games)
- 32nd in Assists
- 30th in APG (min 500 games)
- 29th Points
- 27th in PPG
- 25th in Adjusted Points
- 20th in Adjusted PPG
- 5th in Plus Minus
- 27th in Point Shares
- 31st in Point Shares per game
Rank in draft (258 players):
- 27th in Games
- 17th in Goals
- 20th in Assists
- 19th in Points
- 8th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 477 games for the Leafs, Poni was traded for Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula at the 2010 trade deadline before his contract expired
- Caputi played 26 games for the Leafs but spent most of his time in the AHL, he was traded in 2012 for Nicolas Deschamps
- Skoula was traded the next day for New Jersey’s 2010 5th Round pick.
Antropov had the better career but Poni wasn’t expected to be a star and ended up being a dependable Top 6 forward for the Leafs from some time, despite being drafted 77 spots lower.
15. Ian White, D, drafted 191st overall in the 2002 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 53rd in Games
- 63rd in Goals
- 40th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 46th in Assists
- 32nd in APG (min (500 games)
- 50th in Points
- 36th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 42nd in Adjusted Points
- 32nd in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 8th in Plus Minus
- 26th in Point Shares
- 12th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (291 players):
- 33rd in Games
- 31st in Goals
- 23rd in Assists
- 26th in Points
- 5th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 296 games with the Leafs, White was traded with Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayars and Matt Stajan for Keith Aulie, Dion Phaneuf and Fredrick Sjostrom in January 2010
- Aulie played 57 games for the Leafs but regularly played for the Marlies until he was traded for Carter Ashton in February 2012
- Phaneuf played for 423 games for the Leafs until he was traded with Casey Bailey, Cody Donaghey, Matt Frattin and Ryan Rupert for Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, Tobias Lindberg, Milan Mihalek and Ottawa’s 2017 2nd Round pick at the 2016 trade deadline
- Sjostrom played 82 games for the Leafs and returned to Sweden in 2011.
White was another late round success for the Leafs and the Leafs got the best of him, as his career deteriorated after that trade.
14. John Anderson, RW, drafted 11th overall in the 1977 Amateur Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 21st in Games
- 7th in in Goals
- 6th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 9th in Assists
- 9th in APG (min 500 games)
- 7th in Points
- 5th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 14th in Adjusted Points
- 12th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 24th in Plus Minus
- 19th in Point Shares
- 23rd in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (185 players):
- 9th in Games
- 3rd in Goals
- 6th in Assists
- 4th in Points
- 18th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader Boards: None
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 534 games with the Leafs, Anderson was traded for Brad Maxwell in the 1985 off-season
- Maxwell played 52 games for the Leafs until he was traded for Vancouver’s 1988 5th Rounder pick (Len Esau) in the 1986 off-season.
Anderson was one of the Leafs’ offensive stars during some dark, dark days. He was a decent player from a weak draft. Unfortunately for the Leafs, Bossy was drafted 15th.
13. Brad Boyes, RW, drafted 24th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft (Active)
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 19th in Games
- 13th in Goals
- 15th in GPG
- 13th in Assists
- 19th in APG
- 14th in Points
- 14th in PPG
- 7th in Adjusted Points
- 6th in Adjusted PPG
- Minus player
- 12th in Point Shares
- 15th in Point Shares per game
Rank among Draft (293 players):
- 11th in Games
- 6th in Goals
- 6th in Assists
- 5th in Points
Awards:
- 1st Team All Rookie
Leader Boards:
- Top 5 in Goals once
- Top 10 in GPG once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: Before he played a game for the Leafs, he was traded with Alyn McCauley and Toronto’s 2003 1st Round (Mark Stuart) pick for Owen Nolan at the 2003 trade deadline
- Nolan played 79 games for the Leafs over two seasons (oof) and left as a free agent after the lockout
- Boyes re-signed with the Leafs in the 2015 off-season.
Though Boyes has had an inconsistent career offensively, he has turned out to be one of the top players in his draft.
I was mostly for the trade that sent him away at the time, as I foolishly thought the Leafs were an Owen Nolan away from true success that year.
12. Wendel Clark, LW/D, drafted 1st overall in the 1985 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 25th in Games
- 5th in Goals
- 4th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 26th in Assists
- 26th in APG (min 500 games)
- 10th in Points
- 7th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 9th in Adjusted Points
- 7th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus player
- 15th in Points Shares
- 16th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (252 players):
- 17th in Games
- 2nd in Goals
- 15th in Assists
- 6th in Points
Awards:
- 1st Team All Rookie
- 2 All Star Game Appearances
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Goals once
- Top 5 in GPG once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How He Got Away:
- First Time: After 463 games with the Leafs (over 9 seasons), Clark was traded with Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and Toronto’s 1994 1st Round pick (Not an NHL player) for Garth Butcher, Mats Sundin, Todd Warriner and Philadelphia’s 1994 1st Round pick (Nolan Baumgartner)
- Butcher played 45 games for the Leafs and then retired
- Sundin, of course, become one of the greatest Leafs in franchise history; after 981 games, Mats’ rights were traded to Montreal before his contract expired; he retired after a brief comeback
- Warriner played 253 games for the Leafs until he was traded for Tampa Bay’s 2000 3rd Rounder pick (Mikael Tellqvist) in November 1999
- Clark was reacquired by the Leafs in the Kenny Jonsson trade at the 1996 trade deadline
- Second Time: Clark left as a free agent in 1998
- Clark was reacquired as a free agent in the middle of the 1999-00 season so he could retire as a Leaf.
This may get me killed but, due to his injuries, Clark could be considered a bit of a bust. (Please, Leafs fans, do not hunt me down.) In his defense, it was a weak, weak draft so really, he wasn’t, relatively speaking. But his career really wasn’t that exceptional if we Leafs fans can be rational about it. In fact, his career, and the rabid celebration it inspires, caused me to conceive of the “Wendel Clark Test.” The Wendel Clark test the following: “Do you believe Wendel Clark belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame?” If the Leafs fan says “Yes” they are irrational and you do not have to have any more hockey conversations with that person.
But the deal that sent him away was one of the better trades we’ve seen on this list, acquiring a true franchise player for the Leafs in the bargain.
11. Russ Courtnall, RW, drafted 7th overall in the 1983 Entry Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 6th in Games
- 6th in Goals
- 10th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 6th in Assists
- 8th in APG (min 500 games)
- 5th in Points
- 6th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 4th in Adjusted Points
- 8th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- Minus Player
- 10th in Point Shares
- 24th in Point Shares per game
Rank in draft (242 players):
- 8th in Games
- 10th in Goals
- 5th in Assists
- 6th in Points
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game appearance
Leader boards: None
Championships: None
Career leader boards: None
How He Got Away: After 309 games with the Leafs, Courtnall was traded John Kordic and Montreal’s 1989 6th Round pick (not an NHL player) in November 1988 (oof)
- Kordic played 104 games for the Leafs until he was traded with Paul Fenton for Washington’s 1991 5th Round pick in January 1991
Courtnall didn’t have as long a career as his brother, but he did have some success. The trade is pretty awful, though. They traded Courtnall for a goon? Ugh.
10. Craig Muni, D, drafted 25th overall in the 1980 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 20th in Games
- 77th in Goals
- 52nd in GPG (min 500 games)
- 51st in Assists
- 48th in APG (min 500 games)
- 59th in Points
- 51st in PPG (min 500 games)
- 51st in Adjusted Points
- 52nd in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 1st in Plus Minus
- 23rd in Points Shares
- 28th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (210 players):
- 18th in Games
- 59th in Goals
- 43rd in Assists
- 49th in Points
- 6th in Plus Minus
Awards: None
Leader Boards:
- Top 5 in Plus Minus twice, Top 10 thrice
- Top 5 in Defensive Point Shares once, Top 10 twice
Championships:
- Top 4 D (by points) on one Champion (’88 Oilers)
- Role Player (by points) on two Champions (’87, ’90 Oilers)
Career Leader Boards: None
How He Got Away: After 19 games over 4 seasons with the Leafs (and lots of time spent in the AHL), Muni left as a free agent.
When I was a young Leafs fan, I used to rail against Pat Quinn never giving the young players a chance to show their stuff. Had I been old enough be paying attention 15 years earlier, maybe I would have been annoyed with how little Muni played, because he never was given much of a chance on a bad Leafs team, and then went on to play (as far as I can tell) important minutes on Championship level teams. Alas.
9. Ian Turnbull, D, drafted 15th overall in the 1973 Amateur Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 39th in Games
- 29th in Goals
- 23rd in GPG (min 500 games)
- 11th in Assists
- 3rd in APG (min 500 games)
- 21st in Points
- 8th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 22nd in Adjusted Points
- 14th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 13th in Plus Minus
- 7th in Point Shares
- 1st in Point Shares Per Game (min 500 games)
Rank in Draft (168 players):
- 13th in Game
- 16th in Goals
- 5th in Assists
- 10th in Points
- 12th in Plus/Minus
Awards:
- 1 All Star Game Appearance
Leader boards:
- Top 10 in Assists once
- Top 10 in APG once
- Top 10 in Plus Minus once
- Top 10 in DPS once
- Top 10 in PS once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 580 games for the Leafs, Turnbull was traded for John Gibson and Billy Harris in November 1981
- Gibson played 27 games for the Leafs then went to the minors
- Harris played 146 games for the Leafs fore he was traded for cash in 1984
Turnbull was, for a long time, the 2nd best Leafs defenceman since expansion, regardless of whether or not they had drafted them. He had one truly great year in 1977. Somehow they figured out that he was declining and sent him away, though they got very little back for him.
8. Alex Steen, C/LW, drafted 24th overall in the 2002 Entry Draft (Active)
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 30th in Games
- 16th in Goals
- 13th in GPG
- 14th in Assists
- 14th in APG
- 15th in Points
- 11th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 10th in Adjusted Points
- 4th in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 7th in Plus Minus
- 14th in Point Shares
- 11th in Point Shares per game (min 500 games)
Rank among Draft (291 players):
- 9th in Games
- 4th in Goals
- 4th in Assists
- 3rd in Points
- 4th in Plus Minus
Awards:
- Monthly 1st Star once
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in GPG once
Championships: None, but the Blues are in the Conference Finals as I write this
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 253 games with the Leafs, Steen was traded with Carlo Colaiacovo for Lee Stempniak (in a trade I didn’t quite hate at the time, so I’ an idiot)
- Stempniak played 123 games for the Leafs before being traded for Matt Jones and Phoenix’s 2010 4th Round pick (Phillipp Grubauer) and 7th Round pick (not an NHL player, so oof)
Despite being drafted late in the 1st Round, Steen was the most highly thought of Leafs forward between Antropov and Tlusty and he’s had a better career than either. But unfortunately the Leafs did not reap the benefits as we wasn’t far enough along for their rebuild (or whatever the thinking was that saw him traded for an older, inferior player).
7. Rick Kehoe, RW, drafted 22nd overall in the 1971 Amateur Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 15th in Games
- 4th in Goals
- 4th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 7th in Assists
- 7th in APG (min 500 games)
- 4th in Points
- 4th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 5th in Adjusted Points
- 5th in Adjusted PPG
- Minus player
- 8th in Point Shares
- 13th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (117 players):
- 5th in Games
- 4th in Goals
- 6th in Assists
- 4th in Points
Awards:
- Lady Byng
- 2 All Star Game appearances.
Leader boards:
- Top 5 in Goals once
- Top 5 in GPG once
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards: None
How he Got Away: After 184 games for the Leafs, Kehoe was traded for Blaine Stoughton and Pittsburgh’s 1977 1st Round pick (Trevor Johansen) in the 1974 off-season
- Johansen played 132 games for the Leafs before being traded with Don Ashby for Paul Gardner at the 1979 trade deadline
- Stoughton played 121 games for the Leafs before leaving for the WHA.
Kehoe was the second best offensive player drafted by the Leafs between Sittler and Damphousse, which is a really long period of time. Unfortunately, the Leafs didn’t get his prime, though I’m not sure you can blame them: how could they know Stoughton would have decamped to the WHA?
7. Tomas Kaberle, D, drafted 204th overall in the 1996 Entry Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 10th in Games
- 38th in Goals
- 41st in GPG (min 500 games)
- 5th in Assists
- 4th in APG (min 500 games)
- 11th in Points
- 20th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 6th in Adjusted Points
- 13th in Adjusted PPG
- 17th in Plus Minus
- 3rd in Point Shares
- 3rd in Point Shares per Game
Rank in Draft (241 players):
- 6th in Games
- 16th in Goals
- 1st in Assists
- 5th in Points
- 10th in Plus Minus
Awards:
- 4 All Star Game appearances
- Weekly 1st Star once
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Assists once
Championships:
- 5th D on one Champion (’11 Bruins)
How he Got Away: After 878 games with the Leafs, Kaberle was traded for Joe Colborne, Boston’s 2011 1st Round pick (Rickard Rackell) and 2012 2nd Round pick (Mike Winther)
- Colborne played 16 games for the Leafs and many more for the Marlies before he was traded for Calgary’s 2014 4th Round pick
- The Leafs traded the picks that became Rackell and Winther before they were drafted.
Kaberle was the most successful late round pick the Leafs ever made and I’m surprised the highest he ever finished in Norris voting was 11th. (That’s not to say that he should have won it, or gotten a Top 5 vote one year; just that, had Kaberle been born in 1988 or 1998 instead of 1978, perhaps his game would have been more appreciated.)
Though the trade didn’t yield great results, it was still a major haul for a player who was already visibly declining.
5. Doug Jarvis, C, drafted 24th overall in the 1975 Amateur Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 11th in Games
- 25th in Goals
- 30th in GPG (min 500 games)
- 21st in Assists
- 29th in APG (min 500 games)
- 23rd in Points
- 31st in PPG
- 28th in Adjusted Points
- 36th in Adjusted PPG
- 2nd in Plus Minus
- 46th in Point Shares
- 46th in Point Shares per game
Drank in Draft (217 players):
- 3rd in Games
- 8th in Goals
- 6th in Assists
- 8th in Points
- 4th in Plus Minus
Awards:
- Selke (’84)
- Masterton (’87)
Leader Boards: None
Championships:
- Top 6 Forward (by points) on one Champion (’77 Canadiens)
- Top 9 Forward (by points) on two Champions (’76, ’78 Canadiens)
- Role Player (by points) on one Champion (’79 Canadiens)
Career Leader Boards: None
How He Got Away: Before he played a single game, Jarvis was traded for Greg Hubick (oof)
- Hubick played 72 games for the Leafs before going to the minors.
Jarvis was one of the best defensive forwards of his era, behind only his teammate Bob Gainey and Craig Ramsay. Perhaps it was a skill not recognized by the Leafs when they drafted him.
4. Randy Carlyle, D, drafted 30th overall in the 1976 Amateur Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 5th in Games
- 23rd in Goals
- 31st in GPG (min 500 games)
- 4th in Assists
- 5th in APG (min 500 games)
- 6th in Points
- 15th in PPG (min 500 games)
- 12th in Adjusted Points
- 22nd in Adjusted PPG
- Minus player
- 5th in Point Shares
- 7th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (135 players):
- 1st in Games
- 9th in Goals
- 2nd in Assists
- 4th in Points
Awards:
- Norris (’81)
- 1st Team All Star once
- 4 All Star Games
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Assists once
- Top 10 in APG twice
Championships: None
How he Got Away: After 94 games with the Leafs, Carlyle was traded with George Ferguson for Dave Burrows in the 1978 off-season (oof)
- Burrows played 151 games for the Leafs before he was traded with Paul Gardner for Kim Davis and Paul Marshall.
I think Carlyle’s Norris trophy is utter bullshit (he was the best offensive defenceman on the 4th worst defensive team in the league) but he won it, so what can you do? And he certainly had a much better career offensively than most of the defencemen on this list (though he played in the ’80s).
Burrows was an All-Star that they presumably thought Carlyle would never turn into one. Oops.
3. Vincent Damphousse, C, drafted 6th overall in the 1986 Entry Draft
Rank among Leafs Picks:
- 2nd in Games
- 3rd in Goals
- 8th in GPG
- 1st in Assists
- 2nd in APG
- 1st in Points
- 3rd in PPG
- 1st in Adjusted Points
- 2nd in Adjusted PPG
- 21st in Plus Minus
- 1st in Point Shares
- 8th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (252 players):
- 1st in Games
- 1st in Goals
- 2nd in Assists
- 1st in Points
- 12th in Plus Minus
Awards:
- Top 5 in Selke voting once
- 3 All Star Game appearances
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in APG once
Championships:
- Best Skater (by 6 points) on one Champion (’93 Canadiens)
Career Leader Boards:
- 42nd in Games Played
- 37th in Assists
- 34th in Adjusted Assists
- 46th in Points
- 41st in Adjusted Points
How he Got Away: After 394 games, Damphousse was traded away in the same trade as Luke Richardson (see above) in the 1991 off-season.
My rating “system” puts him 3rd on this list, but I think there’s a strong case for Damphousse being the 2nd best draft pick in Leafs history, at least until Marner, Nylander or Matthews makes it seem otherwise. Though not the offensive force of the next two on the list, he was a better all around player (to the best of my knowledge) than at least one of them.
That trade wasn’t a good idea, though it generally worked out for the Leafs given their success in 1993 and 1994 with some of the players they got back.
2. Lanny McDonald, RW, drafted 4th overall in the 1973 Amateur Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 3rd in Games
- 1st in Goals
- 1st in GPG (min 500 games)
- 3rd in Assists
- 6th in APG
- 3rd in Points
- 2nd in PPG (min 500 games)
- 3rd in Adjusted Points
- 3rd in Adjusted PPG (min 500 games)
- 10th in Plus Minus
- 4th in Point Shares
- 9th in Point Shares per game
Rank in Draft (168 players):
- 2nd in Games
- 1st in Goals
- 4th in Assists
- 2nd in Points
- 8th in Plus Minus
Awards:
- Masterton (’83)
- King Clancy (’88)
- 2nd Team All Star twice
- 4 All Star Game appearances
Leader Boards:
- Top 5 in Goals thrice, Top 10 four times
- Top 5 in GPG thrice, Top 10 four times
- Top 10 in Points
- Top 10 in PPG twice
- Top 5 in Offensive Point Shares twice, Top 10 four times
Championships:
- Role Player (by points) on one Champion (’89 Flames)
Career Leader Boards:
- 43rd in Goals
How he Got Away: After 477 games with the Leafs, McDonald was traded with Joel Quenneville for Pat Hickey and Wilf Paiement
- Hickey played 118 games for the Leafs before being traded for the Rangers’ 1982 5th Round pick in October 1981
- Paiement played 187 games for the Leafs (as their star player) before getting traded for Miroslav Frycer and Quebec’s 1982 7th Round pick (not an NHL player) at the 1982 trade deadline.
McDonald is a legend partially for his facial hair and partially for being the Captain of a Champion, because fans love their captains. He was a very good offensive player for a few years, though it’s worth noting he had star centres on his line during his best years (Sittler, Nilsson). Though the rating system picked McDonald over Damphousse, I’m a little torn but then I watched Damphousse, so maybe that’s why. Anyway, until Matthews, Marner or Nylander prove otherwise, one of the very best players ever drafted by the Leafs.
Paiement wasn’t on the Leafs long enough for him to ever match McDonald, but he had the best year of his career for the Leafs so I guess it wasn’t all bad.
1. Darryl Sittler, C, drafted 8th overall in the 1970 Amateur Draft
Rank in Leafs Picks:
- 4th in Games
- 2nd in Goals
- 2nd in GPG (min 500 games)
- 2nd in Assists
- 1st in APG (min 500 games)
- 2nd in Points
- 1st in PPG (min 500 games)
- 2nd in Adjusted Points
- 1st in Adjusted PPG
- 4th in Plus Minus
- 2nd in Point Shares
- 4th in Point Shares per Game
Rank in Draft (115 players):
- 2nd in Games
- 2nd in Goals
- 2nd in Assists
- 2nd in Points
- 5th in Plus Minus
Awards:
- Top 5 in Hart voting once
- 2nd Team All Star once
- 4 All Star Game appearances
Leader Boards:
- Top 10 in Goals thrice
- Top 10 in GPG thrice
- Top 5 in Assists once, Top 10 in Assists twice
- Top 5 in APG once, Top 10 twice
- Top 5 in Points once, Top 10 in Points five times
- Top 5 in PPG twice, Top 10 six times
- Top 5 in OPS once, Top 10 in OPS five times
Championships: None
Career Leader Boards:
- 49th in Goals
- 44th in PPG
How he got Away: After 844 games, Sittler was traded for Rich Costello, Ken Strong and Hartford’s 1982 2nd Round pick (Peter Ihnacek)
- Costello played 12 games for the Leafs over multiple seasons, mostly playing as a minor leaguer
- Ihnacek played his entire NHL career – 417 games – for the Leafs
- Strong played 15 games for the Leafs over multiple seasons, mostly playing as a minor leaguer.
Sittler is one of the three best Leaf forwards to play for the Leafs since expansion. He’s one of the greatest Leafs ever. He would be the greatest Leaf ever had his single season records not been broken nor his career records, but he is the greatest player to be drafted by the Leafs by rather a lot, at least until someone exceeds his career, if that ever happens.
The trade is notorious – it was awful when it was made and it is awful now, even though Ihnacek had a reasonable career.
So there you have it, the best players the Leafs have ever drafted. Not a particularly impressive list, hopefully there will be more than a few additions to it in the coming years.
Methodology
I used a crude numerical system to rank the players based on where their careers fit among all skaters drafted by the Leafs, where they fit in their own drafts (i.e. whether or not they were busts relative to their draft position), and what they accomplished both in individual seasons and over their career. It’s led to some pretty controversial rankings, but this is what happens when you try to take your own bias out of something.
Crude Numerical Rating System
- 9 points for first overall in given category among Leafs picks or in draft, 3 points for Top 5, 1 point for Top 10
- -9 for not matching their draft position in all of the five stats tracked by Hockey-Reference.com, -3 for a not matching draft position in 2-4 of those categories, -1 for not matching it in only 1
- Similarly, +9 for exceeding draft position in all five stats, +3 for exceeding it in 2-4, +1 for exceeding it in 1
- 9 points for a major award, 3 points for a minor award or 1st Team selection, 1 point for 2nd Team selection or All Star Game
- 9 points for leading the league in a single season in Goals, Assists, Points, Plus Minus, GPG, APG, PPG, PS, OPS, DPS, 3 points for Top 5, 1 point for Top 10
- 9 points for being the star of a Stanley Cup Champion, 3 points for playing a Top 6/Top 4 role, 1 point for a role player
- 9 points for Top 5 in Career leader boards in Games, Goals, Assists, Points, Plus Minus, GPG, APG, PPG, PS, OPS or DPS, 3 points for Top 25, 1 point for Top 50