By Alex Hobson
Almost every Leafs fan across the globe knew that there weren't any expectations heading
into this season, so with a Detroit Red Wings win over the Florida Panthers on saturday night, the Leafs were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, crushing the hopes of the few fans that believed there was still a chance. Now, Leafs fans are itching for the season to be finished so that they can hurry up and get to the draft lottery to find out where they'll be picking. A special friend of mine by the name of Jacob Du suggested that I write up a three part mock draft based off the current NHL standings. Today, we'll go over picks 1-10. Let's take a look
1. Toronto Maple Leafs - Auston Matthews (C, ZSC Lions, NLA)
The Leafs currently sit in last place in the NHL standings and hold the highest chance at getting the first overall pick, so this selection isn't overly unrealistic. If the Leafs do win the Matthews sweepstakes, no Leafs fan will be disappointed with this pick. Matthews was born two days before the 2015 draft cutoff date, making him uneligible for the draft that year, but if he was a few days older he would have been ranked third overall behind just Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, which really says something about his game. Big offensive centre and according to current coach Marc Crawford, is a "player you build a franchise around"
2. Winnipeg Jets - Patrik Laine (RW, Tappara, SM-Liiga)
The Jets disappointed this year after making the playoffs last season, but given that they already have a prospect pool consisting of talent such as Kyle Connor, Josh Morrisey, Jack Roslovic, Jansen Harkins, and Nic Petan among others, adding Laine would make them just downright scary. An ideal combination of size and skill, Laine is a very flashy player that oozes offensive talent. A big part in Team Finland's victory at the 2016 World Juniors with 13 points in 7 games as a 17 year old.
3. Edmonton Oilers - Jesse Puljujarvi (RW, Karpat, SM-Liiga)
After Matthews goes off the board, it's a complete wildcard on who goes second whether it's Laine or Puljujarvi, as they're very similar players. The reason I have Laine going second is because he's slightly flashier and Winnipeg tends to take flashy players, while Puljujarvi is more of an all around offensive, defensive, and physical player. It doesn't matter whether the Oilers get one Fin or the other, but they won't be disappointed if the Alvkarleby native slips to third. A future first line of Taylor Hall, Connor McDavid, and Jesse Puljujarvi is enough to make any Oilers fan drool.
4. Vancouver Canucks - Matthew Tkachuk (LW, London Knights, OHL)
The top three picks in this draft are essentially set in stone, but whoever picks fourth won't be disappointed. Tkachuk would be a big name to add to a future young forward pool. After making the transition from the USNTDP to the OHL, Tkachuk has filled in a vital role as a member of the Knights, as he finished the season with 107 points in 57 games for the club. He's a likely option to go fourth overall after Matthews and the Finns are off the board.
5. Columbus Blue Jackets - Jakob Chychrun (D, Sarnia Sting, OHL)
Chychrun was originally a top three ranked prospect heading into the 2015-16 hockey season, but slipped a little bit after outstanding performances from Puljujarvi and Laine at the World Juniors. The Jackets have some very exciting prospects at forward, such as Oliver Bjorkstrand, Sonny Milano, and Paul Bittner among others, so adding Chychrun would boulster their defensive pool. A future D core of Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, Zach Werenski, and Jakob Chychrun? Yes please.
6. Calgary Flames - Alexander Nylander (RW, Mississauga Steelheads, OHL)
At the start of the year, Alexander Nylander was simply known as the brother of top Leafs prospect William Nylander who had a chance to go in the second round of the upcoming draft. After a stellar performance at the 2016 World Juniors and campaign of 75 points in 57 games for the Steelheads in his first OHL year, he's climbed up the rankings and is now a likely candidate to go in the top seven of the 2016 NHL Draft. He would fit in nicely alongside of a Sam Bennett or a Sean Monahan in the future.
7. Buffalo Sabres - Olli Juolevi (D, London Knights, OHL)
The Sabres young offensive talent is being showcased nicely this year, with a pair of second overall picks in Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel leading the charge. They have a couple of solid young defensemen in Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, and Mark Pysyk, so adding Juolevi, who's having a strong season for the London Knights, to that mix would be a huge boost for the future of this young team.
8. Arizona Coyotes - Mikhail Sergachev (D, Windsor Spitfires, OHL)
I don't belive in drafting for positional needs, but the Coyotes already have a stacked forward pool consisting of players such as Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Christian Dvorak, Dylan Strome, Brendan Perlini, and Conor Garland, while on defense they have next to nobody. It's not like they'd be going far off the board to grab him, either. He's projected to go in between 8-12th overall and would be a very solid pickup for the Yotes' blueline. The big-bodied Russian has 56 points in 66 games for the Spits this season.
9. Montreal Canadiens - Pierre-Luc Dubois (LW, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, QMJHL)
This pick sees the Habs picking a French Canadian out of the QMJHL. Pretty typical, no? Nonetheless, the Habs would be getting a great player in Dubois, he currently has 99 points in 62 games while playing a strict all-around game for the Screaming Eagles. He has a strong combination of skill and size, and would give the Canadiens the scoring touch they need.
10. New Jersey Devils - Julien Gauthier (LW, Val D'or Foreurs, QMJHL)
The second French Canadian to go in this draft, Gauthier is a prime two way forward that possesses a big body and a strong shot to go with it. He turned heads at the World Juniors as an underage prospect and he could very well be a top ten pick in the draft due to his good combination of skill and size.
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