Toronto Maple Leafs' Draft Analysis: An in Depth Look

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Going into this year’s draft, there were a lot of expectations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Brian Burke held a season ending press conference saying that he would attempt to move up in the draft and attempt to go after John Tavares, which essentially got every Leafs fan excited for the future and excited for the draft.

Of course once again, Leafs fans were let down.

Burke did not move up in the draft and didn’t pull off a miracle in getting John Tavares. But still there was hope in drafting Luke Schenn’s brother Braydon, who was projected to go fifth overall. Fans hoped for the big deal that would see the Leafs move up and get Braydon Schenn.

Once again Leafs fans were disappointed and the Los Angeles Kings did not part with their pick.

So what were we to do next?

With the seventh overall selection, there was a lot of speculation that the Leafs might still trade down to get Zack Kassian, while also getting more draft picks.

But instead of something exciting happening, the Leafs uneventfully drafted Nazem Kadri of the London Knights. A good player and a solid prospect but not what Leafs fans exactly imagined.

Kadri is a small forward with a lot of skill and a nose for the net. Not your typical Brian Burke player. Plus to boot he was a Montreal Canadiens fan, which to be honest, didn’t sit well with me.

So after Friday and Saturday passed, I looked at who we got and was puzzled.

I didn’t know how to take it. No big names and nothing flashy. So I thought I would give it a couple days and wait to see how I felt about the draft.

What I came up with is that the Leafs had an amazing draft, taking all players that would fit the mould of a Brian Burke team. Kind of like the draft, none of them are flashy or the types of players that jump off the page, but if all pan out, will each contribute in a big way with the team.

Here is my scouting report for each player drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft:

First Round, Seventh Overall—Nazem Kadri—London Knights—Center

56GP—25G—53A—78PTS—31PIM

Nazem Kadri is a tall, lanky prospect who has the potential to be a number one center down the road, something that the Maple Leafs have not had for some time. His stick handling is considered to be one of the best from the draft and is also considered a clutch playoff performer, scoring 21 points (9G and 12A) in 14 playoff games. Finally, before his jaw injury, people worried about his toughness. But after coming back from a broken jaw, after only missing 17 games, there is no question that he can play through the pain, which obviously caught Brian Burke’s eye.

Player Comparison: Marc Savard

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