The weekend at the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, FL was a mixed bag for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the club appeared successful in adding players with speed, skill and hockey sense over size with their nine selections, but were unable to pull the trigger on any deals involving core players Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul.
“We need more skill on our team. You get a big, strong guy and it's hard to develop their skill. The guys that do have skill you can develop them physically and get them stronger.… Leafs Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter said after the draft. “The Detroit Red Wings have been doing that for years. They can get them stronger, but you can't put hockey sense into a player.…
The Leafs stood pat at fourth overall and expectedly selected London center Mitch Marner, but traded down twice using Nashville’s #24 pick to reacquire their own second round pick (Erie defenseman Travis Dermott) and a third rounder from Columbus, as well as the last pick in the second from Philadelphia(forward Jeremy Bracco).
“I've seen this young man play a lot.… Hunter said of Dermott. “I've seen him play in the playoffs when there is even more intensity to the games. He seems to thrive in those situations.…
The diminutive Bracco scored 32 points for the US National Development Team and is committed to play for Boston College next fall, but may choose the option to play in the OHL.
#Leafs 2nd rounder Jeremy Bracco told @sportsology he is allergic to donuts. No Tim Hortons endorsements for him. :) pic.twitter.com/EjDD0F1iDI
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) June 28, 2015"I just think he makes special plays. Sometimes I put it in the situation when I’m scouting, 'would I really want to play with that young man?' and I would really want to play with him because if I knew I got open, the puck would be on your stick where you have a good scoring chance.… Hunter said regarding Bracco. “We’ll be talking to him at our mini camp(about where he will play) and see which direction he wants to (go). He's going to a good school in the States, so it’s going to be a tough decision and something we'll sit down(with him) and (see) what he is thinking.…
The Leafs split their eight picks evenly on Day Two of the Draft, selecting four defensemen; Dermott, third rounder Andrew Nielsen, fourth rounder Jesper Lindgren and sixth rounder Stephen Desrochers of the Memorial Cup winning Oshawa Generals.
“(Nielsen) has good skills for a big man.… Hunter said. “He didn't start early in his career, played Double B three or four years ago and has really pushed his career as a hockey player.…
Lindgren is another Swedish blueline prospect unearthed by Leafs scout Thommie Bergman, following in the footsteps of ex-Leaf Carl Gunnarsson, Petter Granberg, Tom Nilsson and Viktor Loov and will likely stay with MODO in the SHL for the next two to three years to gain experience and mature.
Desrochers was passed by in his 18-year-old draft year, but had former Generals head coach(and new Leafs assistant) DJ Smith as a reference.
“He's a guy I've seen a lot.… Hunter said. “DJ coached him, he was pushing him. He's got a big time shot…needs to get stronger of course but played top four D on a Memorial Cup winner.… After Bracco, Toronto selected Latvian winger Martins Dzierkals in the third round, Dmytro Timoshov of the Quebec Remparts in round five and Sarnia winger Nikita Korostelev in the seventh round.
QMJHL Rookie of the Year Dmytro Timoshov(drafted in 5th round by the #Leafs) had 71 assists w/ the Quebec Remparts pic.twitter.com/Bh0w5ykGpH
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) June 28, 2015Dzierkals played for Latvia’s under-18 team last year and will be coming to play in the CHL next season, according to the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle.
“We hope he could be one of our sleepers in the draft that we believe not many people have seen as much and has some real good upside.… Hunter said.
Timoshov is one of the more interesting stories of the Leafs selections. The 18-year-old was born in Ukraine, the product of a Russian father and Swedish mother and moved to Sweden in his teens, where he trained and became friends with 2014 top pick William Nylander.
“He's a puck possession player, that can really handle the puck. Can go east and west really well and he can make plays and pass pucks.…
In his first season with the Remparts, Timoshov registered 71 assists and was named the QMJHL Rookie of the Year.
Korostelev led the Sting in goals(24) and points(53) as a winger for New Jersey top pick Pavel Zacha, but struggled with consistency.
“He was having a good year in his first half, struggled in the second half and didn't play quite as well.… Hunter said. “He's a player that I think the draft got to him, and didn't do quite as well in the second half and I think he felt the heat and we really believe he was a good pick at that time in the seventh round.…
How successful Hunter is at unearthing gems will not be apparent for a few years, but the weekend proved unfulfilling towards the goal of starting the teardown and rebuild that Team President Brendan Shanahan spoke of in April after dismissing GM Dave Nonis.
Shanahan and assistant GM Kyle Dubas fielded trade offers leading up to the weekend and on the draft floor, but struck out on finding a deal for core players Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and others. The Leafs completed a minor deal sending forward Brad Ross and a fourth round pick to Edmonton for defenseman Martin Marincin.
“This is not the trade deadline, I did come here for the draft. We had some talks, there were some discussions that were initiated here on the floor with teams that are still alive and they were under no rush, we were under no rush.… Shanahan said on Saturday. “Nothing materialized that we thought was going to benefit the Leafs in any way. We will see where we are in the next month or two and if we have to come to camp (not getting) everything done that we wanted to get done, that's fine as well.…
Shanahan indicated that the Leafs were not close on any deals and that other teams were testing the waters more than anything else to see what the price would be in advance of July 1, when the free agent signing period begins.
“In this day and age, especially when you're talking about players with big contracts and anything really now is a big contract, it requires teams to really look into themselves, examine what they're going to do on July 1st.… Shanahan said. “This might be something that stretches into free agency to see some teams that maybe have a guy targeted that don't get that free agent.…
The most frequent team connected to Toronto in trade speculation was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking to add a top six scoring winger to play with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, but Pens GM Jim Rutherford may be sniffing around for more inexpensive options like trades for TJ Oshie or Jeff Skinner or signing veteran free agents Justin Williams or Martin St. Louis to short term deals.
“We have a talented group in our core as I said at the end of the season.… Shanahan said. “Throughout the last few seasons, we have seen that the mix just doesn't seem to be there, so we are interested in making some changes, but we’ll make those changes when we think they are best for the Maple Leafs and the Maple Leafs future.…
Toronto is taking a wait and see approach in hopes that interest will pick up on some of their prominent players. There was little talk of any significant trade talk involving Dion Phaneuf and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated in his 30 Thoughts column that the Leafs tried to move Tyler Bozak for draft picks, but could not find a taker in a deep and talent laden draft.
In both instances, the lack of any serious chatter increases the chances of Phaneuf and Bozak being on Toronto’s roster when training camp opens in September.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.