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Heading into the NHL Draft tonight, the spotlight will be on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Questions will arise as to what they do with the No. 4 pick. Do they trade the pick to move up or down, or do they hang on to it?
We all know, with some certainty, that forward Connor McDavid will be the first pick and property of the Edmonton Oilers. We also know that Jack Eichel will probably be the property of the Buffalo Sabres. The other three of the top five are all projected to be franchise players. Trading up could be an option for the Leafs, but trading down shouldn’t be.
There are probably some Maple Leafs fans who are hoping that the team trades the fourth pick for a veteran asset, but this will not fix the hockey club. There has always been a belief among NHL fans that once their team gets into the playoffs, anything can happen. The belief in anything can happen is that the team makes the playoffs and goes on a glorious quest with a championship title awarded at the end.
The fans and team are fooling themselves if they think they can add some veterans with their limited youth and contend for a playoff spot. Lady Liberty, in this case Mike Babcock, swoops in and by next June, the Maple Leafs are Stanley Cup champions. It is not going to happen. I hate to burst your bubble, Leafs Nation, but you could have Scotty Bowman as Babcock’s assistant and it won’t work this fall. There is a lot of work to be done to get this team into the playoffs again.
