The night of the lottery draft, Patrik Laine was chilling out in what looked to be his bed with his long hair flowing out like a split-shot weight that you use for fishing. I do wonder what went through his head when the Leafs won the first overall pick and Winnipeg won runner-up. Do you think Laine wanted Toronto to end up with the second pick, or is the young stud excited to be drafted by Winnipeg? Nothing I’m overly concerned about, mind you, he has been excellent in the 2016 World Championship’s scoring 6 goals and has 4 assists in 7 games, currently third in scoring for the tournament on a very solid Finnish team.

Matthews who plays for the United States, has 3 goals and 3 asissts in 7 games and has been noticeable in each game, but the States has a pretty bush-league roster compared to some of the other countries. As we enter the Quarter-finals, the USA squares off vs CZE, CAN vs SWE, FIN vs DEN, and RUS vs GER. Be sure to tune into the games and check out Matthews as these games start to mean something, perhaps he kicks it up a notch!

Obviously Toronto will end up with a potential superstar with their first overall pick, that’s a given. Where the work is to be done is selecting two gems with the Pittsburgh’s first round pick and Toronto’s 31st overall pick. There are a number of options, the most obvious being Toronto picking two players with those picks and hoping they turn out to be quality NHL players for years to come. Where it gets tricky is if Hunter and the Leafs decide to go another route and either trade down, trade up or simply trade the pick(s) for a need. The need being a potential starting goalie of the future, or a high quality defensemen who will be able to fill in a much needed void in the top four.

With twelve picks in this year’s 2016 NHL Draft, Toronto holds many cards and could put a few together to unload a royal flush if they hit a river card. That’s simply going to be up to management on how risky they want to be with their anti-up. If they have their eye on a player who they think will make the difference, I have no problem what so ever with them unloading a couple picks or a couple prospects. The Maple Leafs prospect pool is finally starting to look juicy, and there are only so many contracts going forward for everyone to have a spot at the round table.

At this point in the rebuilding process, I feel it’s in the Leafs best interest to go for the best player and not just a number of players. Last year they turned that first round pick into a number of picks, and it paid off as they selected some quality prospects. This year, I want Hunter to use some of those prospects and picks and go and get that high-end player that the club needs for the future. It’s going to be two or three seasons before the Leafs are truly in contention of making an impact in the playoffs.

With a number of productive forwards in the system, Toronto needs to add some defense and goaltending prospects into the mix. Sure the Leafs may be able to score three or four games on most nights when they have Nylander, Marner, Matthews, Kadri, JVR, Uncle Leo and the rest of the forward core in action. Defense is what wins Championships, and the most important defender and last line of defense is your goaltender.

Toronto must improve defensively, and I feel with time and Babcock helping out the youngsters, it’s only a matter of time before we see an improvement in the overall picture. With that being said, Bernier can only improve after last season’s debacle. Unfortunately, I don’t think Bernier is going to take us to the promise land, but I also don’t think he’s going to be a sieve like he was last season. The Leafs won’t be winning the cup next year, so let Bernier play out the season if there are no goalies that fall onto our lap through trade or UFA.

To each their own, but I don’t think Toronto should pick a goalie in the first two rounds. Wait until the third round and select a couple of goalies between round 3 to 7. As it stands now Toronto signed Kasimir Kaskisuo to a two-year contract at seasons end they will see how he pans out, another zero risk, all reward type signing. The Leafs have an abundance of money, so they could sign one or two of these types of deals each season, hoping they strike gold.

Could there be a UFA goalie that is a better option that Bernier? Obviously Reimer is still out there after this season, but I don’t think he is the answer, and after this playoff run, he just may want to stay with San Jose if they decide to resign him. After all, he was excellent for them after the trade and would be a viable option for them if Jones were to get hurt or struggle.

UFA goalies and their age:

Ward (31)
Ramo (29)
Reimer (27)
Enroth (27)
Montoya (30)
Hutton (30)

Again, I think letting Bernier play out this season with Sparks backing him up may be the best bet. But, if Toronto really likes one of these free agents, I wouldn’t be opposed to giving them a shot in the blue and white and see how it pans out. I’m hopeful the Leafs are able to find their goalie of the future either this off season or the next as the Shanaplan continues to unfold.

Zaitsev:

Russia has Zaitsev on their third pairing at the World’s and I assure you Babcock has a much more important role for the defenseman when he suits up for the Leafs in October. That’s just how the Russian coaching staff does things; they play the old players more than the young ones. Babcock on the other hand made a comment on this situation and stated that “I play the best players”. How can you not love Mike Babcock!

Obviously the Leafs plan to use Zaistev in a role where he will likely be slotted into the top four and see a good chunk of powerplay time, since he has an absolute cannon of a shot, one that actually hits the net. (Yes that was a little jab at Phaneuf).

The 24 year old Zaitsev can speak English quite well and is doing his best to keep expectations as low as possible before he makes his NHL debut. He’s likely quite aware that Toronto lives for hockey and the fans are very excited to see him play. “I will try to show something next year, who I am, I don’t want to talk too much, I just want to show my game”.

In past years Zistev was a translator for younger Russian players who were appearing at the NHL Draft combine. Now here he is joining the Leafs and starting his dream of playing in the NHL. “That’s why I started to play hockey, to play in the NHL”. Another piece of the puzzle I feel, and he cost nothing but time, a few flights and long-distance calls for the Maple Leafs.

Toronto Marlies:

With a huge third period and likely one of the biggest goals of Rich Clune’s career, the Marlies defeated the Albany Devils 4-3 in game 7 to advance to the Eastern Finals. Toronto will face off against the Hershey Bears, which is where Connor Carrick played majority of his AHL career. Carrick leads the AHL playoff race in points, which is amazing considering he is a defender and somewhat new to the Marlies team as he came over in the Winnick trade.

Best of luck to the Marlies!

Thanks for reading, happy hump day to all.

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