The Maple Leafs surprised no one with the selection of London Knights forward Mitch Marner with the 4th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, as the top three picks went as expected with Edmonton selecting Connor McDavid, Buffalo choosing Jack Eichel and Arizona going with Dylan Strome.
A smiling Mitch Marner, happy to be selected fifth overall by the #Leafs at the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise. pic.twitter.com/fCthFV9RYD
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) June 27, 2015Toronto had the #24, but traded down with Philadelphia to get back into round #2. The Leafs move down to #29 and get pick #61.
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UPDATE: 6:30pm
Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports that the Leafs are entertaining offers for their #24 pick. This is possibly to trade down to get an extra pick(Toronto does not have their second rounder).
There continue to be rumors of the Leafs possibly trading down from #4 if the Coyotes keep the pick and select the player they want at #3.
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Sportsnet's Jeff Marek's reports that the Leafs may trade down from #4 if Arizona keeps their pick and takes Mitch Marner third. A swap with Carolina at #5 or as low as #8 with Columbus is possible.
Both the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets are looking to add a top defenseman and would likely offer additional draft picks or prospects to move up to take Hanifin or Provorov.
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Since the second half decline and fall of the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, selecting near the top of the first round in the talent laden 2015 NHL Draft was one of the few things that the club’s sizable fan base could look forward to.
The Leafs have two selections on Friday evening in Sunrise, FL and do not appear to be entertaining trading down from #4 overall to acquire extra draft picks, but may use that option later in the first round with Nashville’s pick at #24.
Toronto’s selection will undoubtedly be affected by what Arizona, as GM Don Maloney is openly shopping the third overall pick. The Coyotes may trade down for a lower pick in the top 10 and additional prospects and draft picks or may trade out of the first round all together in exchange for immediate help in the form of a top young NHL player.
The dilemma in front of the Leafs is whether to go for a top prospect defenseman in Noah Hanifin or Ivan Provorov at #4 or talented forwards Dylan Strome or Mitch Marner.
There continues to be chatter that Toronto’s hierarchy are split about which direction to go, with head coach Mike Babcock favoring the addition on defense, while Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter favors Marner, who he drafted and developed while GM of the OHL’s London Knights.
If Arizona trades out of the third pick, it is likely that the team moving up(possibly Columbus, Philadelphia or Colorado) will select Hanifin or Provorov, while the Coyotes keeping the pick may result in them going with Strome.
While the draft is extremely important to the rebuilding plans of the Leafs, completing deals for Phil Kessel and other veterans may determine how successful the upcoming weekend is. Team President Brendan Shanahan did his best to deflect the perception that the club has a deadline to move Kessel, as other teams continue to float speculation that Toronto is asking too much for the 27-year-old winger.
Talk of interest in Kessel from the Pittsburgh Penguins has not faded, but the Pens cap situation would make it necessary for the Leafs to either retain part of Kessel’s $8 Million salary or take a significant contract back(such as Chris Kunitz or Pascal Dupuis) to make a deal work.
Toronto would likely be looking for a young NHL player and prospect/draft pick from Pittsburgh in the deal. The Pens do not have their 2015 first rounder(traded to Edmonton in the David Perron deal) and their 2016 second rounder(traded to the Leafs for Daniel Winnik) and have young prospects in 2012 8th overall pick Derrick Pouliot and Kasperi Kapanen, their top pick in 2014, but for a legitimate scoring threat like Kessel, young defenseman Olli Maatta could be the player that Toronto covets.
Maatta(who played two seasons for Mark Hunter in London) had a nightmarish sophomore season after surprising with 29 points as a 19-year-old rookie in 2013-14, as mumps, surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid tumor and a season-ending shoulder injury limited the Finnish blueliner to just 20 games.
With Kris Letang’s questionable health status, the departure of defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen last summer and veterans Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff not expected to return, it is hard to believe that GM Jim Rutherford would move the talented young defenseman, but that might be the price the Penguins need to pay for a top scoring winger to play with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.
Another possible scenario that could play out this weekend is the trade of Ryan O’Reilly, who is likely to move after Colorado acquired pending free agent Carl Soderberg from Boston on Thursday.
The Avs and Soderberg agreed to a five-year deal Friday morning, giving the club a solid two-way center behind Matt Duchene and Nathan McKinnon and the freedom to use O’Reilly(with one year remaining before becoming a UFA) in a trade to acquire help on the blueline.
Toronto has long coveted the 24-year-old Clinton, ON native and Colorado reportedly has interest in defenseman Jake Gardiner, who is locked up for four more years at $4.025 Million per season.
Will be updating throughout the day with the latest news and rumors……
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