source : nationalpost.com
Brendan Shanahan always knew it was going to be a long shot.
The Toronto Maple Leafs president headed into Saturday night’s NHL Draft Lottery with only a 9.5% chance of winning the first-overall pick in this summer’s draft. So it was hardly a surprise, said Shanahan, that they did not “get the golden ticket.”
But it was hardly considered a loss. Unlike the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, who each moved down a spot in the draft order after the Edmonton Oilers won the draw and jumped from third to first, the Leafs held the No. 4 position.
That might not seem like much. But in a draft that is top-heavy with talent, it could be the difference between getting a potential franchise player or just a very good one.
“I’m happy we’re at four. There’s some good players there,” Shanahan said. “Obviously, there’s so much focus on the first couple of guys — and they’re fantastic players — but it’s a very deep draft.”
Now comes the question: Who will be available when the Leafs are picking?
We know Connor McDavid and Boston University centre Jack Eichel will be off the board after Edmonton and Buffalo make their selections. But it is anyone’s guess what the Coyotes will do next.
The two obvious options are Boston College defenceman Noah Hanifin and Erie Otters centre Dylan Strome. The likely scenario is that Arizona will take one and Toronto will take the other. But figuring out the order now depends on a variety of factors, such as team need and which player scouts believe will develop into the better long-term player.
NHL Central Scouting ranked Hanifin as the third-best North American skater in the draft. But the 6-foot-3 Strome, who is ranked fourth, led the Ontario Hockey League with 129 points in 68 games.
The Coyotes, who are in the early stages of a massive rebuild, already have a franchise defenceman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and a drafted blueliner Brandon Gormley 13th overall in 2010. And while they have a bevy of forward prospects, such as wingers Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Brendan Perlini, they are lacking a No. 1 centre.
The Leafs, who have William Nylander and Morgan Rielly as the cornerstones of their rebuild, could use all the help they can get.
“No one knows what’s going to happen on draft day,” Strome, who is from Mississauga, Ont., said on Saturday night. “I’m just looking forward to the whole process. Obviously people have their predictions and fans have things they say, but at the end of the day the one general manager that likes you is probably where you’re going to end up for a while. I’m just looking forward to making a team happy.”
“Obviously Toronto’s in a rebuilding stage right now,” said Hanifin, a native of Massachusetts. “If I were to be selected by them, it would be an honour to play with Morgan Rielly and guys like that.”
When asked if the Leafs planned on trying to move up in the draft to get the player they want, Shanahan was non-committal. “We’ll make that decision later,” he said.
Also being considered as a potential pick at No. 4 are London winger Mitch Marner and Kingston winger Lawson Crouse. But whomever is chosen, do not expect him to change the Leafs’ fortunes immediately. They might not even be in the Leafs lineup for another year or two.
“It really just all depends,” Shanahan said on whether the player they get at the No. 4 spot would be NHL ready. “It depends on who you get, it depends on whether or not they’re ready. I think you can’t have your mind made up. If somebody is going to develop the best while playing in the NHL and is ready to go then you have to leave that option open for them.
“If somebody needs more time, then that’s OK as well.”
