For any die hard NHL fan, the main conversation right now is playoff hockey. Whether your team is in the playoffs or not, playoff hockey is the most exciting time of the season. Where hits are harder, goals are more exciting, and fans are louder, you just can't beat it. That being said, fans of lottery teams (Leafs fans especially) are counting down the days until the draft lottery, which is scheduled to take place on April 30th at 7pm eastern time. That night will determine whether the Leafs take assumed top pick Auston Matthews at #1, or select second, third, or fourth. I'm going to take this opportunity to break down who I think the Leafs should select at each possible pick they could get.
1ST OVERALL - Auston Matthews
Is there really any debate to this conversation? Yes, you could potentially argue that explosive finnish winger Patrik Laine could challenge Matthews for the top pick, but with that being said it's like comparing Jamie Benn to Jonathan Toews. At this point, the Leafs are more in need of a Jonathan Toews than a Benn. Number one centres don't grow on trees, and if the Leafs are lucky enough to pick at #1, they should take Matthews without any hesitation. A big, playmaking centre who makes his linemates better and put up over a point per game in the Swiss League this season could truly be a gift for the Leafs.
2ND OVERALL - Patrik Laine
Everybody is looking forward to the Matthews sweepstakes, but if the Leafs slip to second overall, I wouldn't neccessarily complain. It would be unfortunate should they miss out on Matthews, but Laine would be an absolute treat to both have and watch. He could easily be a future number one winger in the NHL and has the assets to put up a ton of points. To me, he has the explosiveness of Jamie Benn and the shot of Alexander Ovechkin. A combination of those two players is enough to make any fan drool. Another asset he sports is size, standing at 6'4 and 209 which is also very attractive to many GMs and scouts.
3RD OVERALL - Jesse Puljujarvi
Assuming Matthews and Laine go first overall, the Leafs should not hesitate to pick up Puljujarvi. He's very, very similar to Laine as they both have a big shot, size, and explosiveness. After the 2016 World Juniors, Puljujarvi and Laine locked themselves in at second and third overall after recording 17 and 13 points respectively. The only difference between them is that Puljujarvi is slightly smaller and is more of an all around player, while Laine is flashy and all offense. Nevertheless, the Leafs should be happy with either of these big Finns.
4TH OVERALL - Pierre-Luc Dubois
No Leafs fan wants this to happen. Nobody wants to see their beloved buds have a terrible season and THEN miss out on a top three pick, therefore missing out on the Finns and Matthews. However, there are still some great players available at number four. Some of these include Matthew Tkachuk, Jakob Chychrun, and Alexander Nylander along with Dubois. Many think Tkachuk is the consensous pick at #4 should the Leafs fall there because he has the London Knights connection to Mark Hunter. However, I think the Leafs would be smart to go with Dubois here. Even though Tkachuk produced more points, he was also in the midst of a stacked Knights team playing with Leafs prospect Mitch Marner along with Christian Dvorak, Max Jones, Olli Juolevi, and J.J. Piccinich. Dubois is big, standing at 6'3 and 201lb, and he produced 99 points in 62 games despite not having the same type of core around him. He can also play both wing and centre, so he seems like an ideal fit for the Leafs.
Thanks for reading.
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