Fansided

5 players Toronto Maple Leafs should target in 2018 NHL Draft

By Jeff Langridge

SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 26: Kyle Dubas Assistant General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs talks on the phone as President Brendan Shanahan looks on during the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 26: Kyle Dubas Assistant General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs talks on the phone as President Brendan Shanahan looks on during the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

The Stanley Cup Final has begun, and that means the 2018 NHL Draft is getting closer and closer. Every team is preparing its list of players it hopes will be available when it is set to pick in the draft. Of course, that includes the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to pick 25th overall in this year’s NHL Draft. This will be an interesting year, as the Leafs have gotten their top three of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander by picking in the top 10 of the draft. They got lucky last season and had Timothy Liljegren fall into their laps.

The Leafs recent history of drafting past the 20th pick in the NHL Draft isn’t so great. Their last three picks past No. 20 are Frederik Gauthier, Stuart Percy and Tyler Biggs. Percy and Biggs are no longer with the organization, while Gauthier’s best hope of making the Leafs lies as a fourth line center.

So who could the Leafs be targeting in the first round and beyond? If you’ve been following the Maple Leafs for a while, you know what their positions of weakness are. Center and defense are the positions that are constantly talked about. The Leafs generally lack depth at center behind Nazem Kadri, especially with Tyler Bozak likely to leave in free agency. Restocking those cupboards should be a priority in the draft.

When it comes to defense, it’s just a matter of finding out what the Leafs have. Travis Dermott looks like he will be a full-time Leaf starting next season. Liljegren is then next in line. With Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey only having one year left on their contracts, there could be one or two spots opening up in the near future. This is another case where the cupboards could be empty pretty soon.

With all that said, here are five players that the Maple Leafs could target in the 2018 NHL Draft.

WINDSOR, ON – OCTOBER 05: Forward Tim Gettinger #26 of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds celebrates his game winning overtime goal against the Windsor Spitfires on October 5, 2017 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)
WINDSOR, ON – OCTOBER 05: Forward Tim Gettinger #26 of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds celebrates his game winning overtime goal against the Windsor Spitfires on October 5, 2017 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images) /

5. Rasmus Sandin

The Maple Leafs just named Kyle Dubas as their general manager. Anyone who saw his introductory press conference knows he keeps tabs on his old OHL team, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Well, there just so happens to be a defenseman on the Greyhounds who might be available when the Leafs are on the clock.

If that’s the case, it would not be a shock to see them take Rasmus Sandin. He was never with the team while Dubas was general manager, having joined the team this past season. However, it is known from that press conference that Dubas was watching the Greyhounds playoff run, or at least the OHL Finals. He very well could have been keeping an eye on the defenseman while doing so.

Sandin had 12 goals and 33 assists for 45 points in 51 games for the dominant Greyhounds. He was a big part of the that team, helping them to the best record in the entire Canadian Hockey League, not just the OHL.

One scout said this about Sandin in The Hockey News Draft Preview Issue:

"I’m a big Sandin fan… He’s that new wave of defenseman: great hockey sense, great mobility, light on his edges. He might be one of the best passers in the OHL, outside of Evan Bouchard. He needs to work on his defensive play, but he’s smart."

He might not be the best Swedish defenseman named Rasmus in the draft, but it would not be disappointing if the Leafs leave the first night of the draft with Sandin in tow.

Home/NHL Draft