5 ways Maple Leafs winning NHL Draft Lottery will save franchise
By Leah Smith
3. The young core is going to be solidified
Heading into the 2015-16 season, the Maple Leafs already had a core group of young prospects. Led by William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Kasperi Kapenan – picked up in the Kessel deal with Pittsburgh – the future was looking promising. Rather than rush them into the league, they were sent down for further development.
Marner went back to the OHL playing for the London Knights. In 57 games during the regular season he scored 39 goals and 77 points. Now in the playoffs, the captain of the Knights in averaging over a goal per game, 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points in just 14 games.
Nylander and Kappenen spent the majority of the year with the AHL Marlies. The team spent the season in first place and are the heavy favorites to win the Calder Cup.
After all the trades at the deadline, the young Marlies made their debuts with the Leafs to close out the season. Nylander was impressive, and other lesser known prospects put themselves on the map. Players like Zach Hyman, and Nikita Shoshnikov made strong cases for why they should also make the Maple Leafs’ roster next season.
In addition to Matthews, the Maple Leafs’ roster will be filled with bright young talents that should be good NHL players for years to come. The Marlies will also hopefully have an experience that none of the Leafs have, a deep playoff run and a good chance to win a championship.
Next: Players with NHL experience