The pressures and expectations heaped on top draft picks are similar even though each 18 or 19 year-old prospect possesses differing levels of physical and emotional maturity and play with different teammates.
Mitch Marner might not be ready for the rigors of the National Hockey League over a year after being drafted fourth overall, while the expectation is that 2016 first overall pick Auston Matthews will step in right away and have a first season comparable 2013 first pick Nathan McKinnon or 2015 second overall selection Jack Eichel.
Austin Mathews this morning in Vaughan @MapleLeafsViews @MapleLeafsRR @LeafsHub pic.twitter.com/4fjRNpSQvN
— DJP (@oldpappy59) August 2, 2016
Matthews turns 19 on September 17th(the opening day of the World Cup of Hockey), which is within a month of how old MacKinnon and Eichel were at the start of their rookie seasons. If you look at the offensive output of every forward who were top three pick since 2012 who played more than half an NHL season in their draft year, you can get an fairly decent idea of what Matthews may produce in his rookie campaign:
Nail Yakupov(EDM)……..12-13 – 29 Goals, 23 Assists = 52 points (82 game projection) Alex Galchenyuk(MON) 12-13 – 15 Goals, 30 Assists = 45 points (82 game projection) Nathan McKinnon(COL) 13-14 – 24 Goals, 39 Assists = 63 points Aleksander Barkov(FLA) 13-14 – 12 Goals, 24 Assists = 36 points (82 game projection) Connor McDavid(EDM) 14-15 – 29 Goals, 58 Assists = 87 points (82 game projection) Jack Eichel(BUF)…………...14-15 – 24 Goals, 32 Assists = 56 points
Average = 22 Goals, 34 Assists = 56 points
There have been indications that head coach Mike Babcock will start Matthews off on the third line behind veterans Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak, but it is likely that the young center will move up as the season progresses. Eichel started on the second line behind Ryan O’Reilly and moved up to the first line when O’Reilly was injured mid-season.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs pick of center Auston Matthews at the NHL Draft in Buffalo in June was the first time the franchise selected first overall since drafting Wendel Clark in 1985.
Clark remains one of the most popular players in Toronto history in spite of a career riddled with injury and played for the Leafs three times during his 15-year NHL career.
The drafts since the selection of Clark had a few ups, several downs and many missed chances and opportunities. During the traditionally slow hockey news month of August, we will take a look at the drafts from 1985 to 2015 and see where the Leafs went right and went wrong.
1987 Draft
Rd(Pick) 1(7) Luke Richardson D Peterborough Petes [OHL] 2(28) Daniel Marois R Verdun Junior Canadiens [QMJHL] 3(49) John McIntyre C Guelph Platers [OHL] 4(71) Joe Sacco R Medford H.S. (Mass.) 5(91) Mike Eastwood C Pembroke (COJHL) 6(112) Damian Rhodes G Richfield H.S. (Minn.) 7(133) Trevor Jobe C Moose Jaw Warriors [WHL] 8(154) Chris Jensen D Northwood Prep (N.Y.) 9(175) Brian Blad D Belleville Bulls [OHL] 10(196) Ron Bernacci C Hamilton Steelhawks [OHL] 11(217) Ken Alexander D Hamilton Steelhawks [OHL] 12(238) Alex Weinrich D North Yarmouth Academy (Maine)
This has to be considered an above average draft for the Maple Leafs, in that their top six picks all played over 300 games in the NHL, but it could have been spectacular had GM Gerry McNamara had listened to his chief scout Floyd Smith over head coach John Brophy.
Former Leafs GM Gord Stellick says that Smith was advocating the selection of WHL center Joe Sakic (who slipped to #15 and selected by Quebec).
Brophy as always wanted size and toughness and the big Richardson (who had 100 or more PIM’s in 12 NHL seasons) was a perfect fit on the blueline, while Sakic would have been another center added to a young group that included Ed Olczyk, Russ Courtnall and Tom Fergus.
Marois enjoyed two successful offensive seasons with Toronto, playing on the right wing with Fergus and Vincent Damphousse, but tailed off in the Leafs disastrous 1990-91 season and was traded to the NY Islanders in 1992.
McIntyre played parts of two seasons in Toronto and was traded to the LA Kings for Mike Krushelnyski in 1990 and also played for New York and Vancouver.
Sacco(former head coach in Colorado and currently an NHL assistant) split time between the AHL and NHL over three seasons and was the beneficiary of expansion, playing five seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim before stints with the Islanders, Capitals and Flyers.
Eastwood played 14 seasons in the NHL, including part time duty for the two consecutive Conference Final clubs in 1993 & 1994 before being traded to Winnipeg in 1995 for Tie Domi.
Rhodes served as the backup to Felix Potvin until 1996, when he was traded to the Senators in a three-team deal that sent Bryan Berard to Long Island, Wade Redden to Ottawa and Kirk Muller to Toronto. He was the starter for the Sens for four seasons before being moved to the expansion Atlanta Thrashers in 1999.
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