Toronto Maple Leafs clinch last place finish in NHL

With their loss to the Devils, the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially clinched a last place finish. 

From the beginning of the season, the objective for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been to finish in last place. That would give them the best chance to get the number one overall pick, and even in a worst case scenario, would end up with the fourth overall pick. Thanks to a loss to the Devils, the Leafs have officially fulfilled that objective.

They achieved that goal through a commitment to tanking that one could argue surpasses even the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. Much like the 76ers, the Leafs are rebuilding through acquiring tons of draft picks and prospects. Unlike the 76ers, the Leafs took it to the next level and signed players to one-year contracts knowing that they would trade them at the trade deadline. They were indirectly “buying” prospects and draft picks. Considering the Maple Leafs are one of the most valuable teams in the NHL, that’s not a bad idea.

Despite their last place finish, the Leafs have a lot to be optimistic about. Nazem Kadri had horrible luck and still had a decent season with 45 points, the second-highest point total of his career. His 17 goals doesn’t look great on paper, but his 6.5 percent shooting percentage played a huge role in that. Getting over 260 shots on goal is nothing to sneeze at either. Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner both took steps forward in their development.

Most importantly, William Nylander has been impressive. Their prospects have looked very good in limited NHL time. The Toronto Maple Leafs might have issues, but this time, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It could get even brighter if they manage to win the NHL Draft Lottery.

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