If You Could Turn Back Time: 30 Players the Leafs Could Have Drafted, but Didn’t...Since 1979.

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Part One: 1979-1989

Hindsight. It’s a word that oozes possibilities and, in the case of Toronto Maple Leaf fans, a word that haunts them in their sleep like an evil Gremlin.

Over the years the Leafs have had the misfortune of drafting in some very admirable positions. That said, many of the Leafs’ draft picks have not panned out, in fact, the Leafs have the reputation of leaving talent on the table.

With that in mind, it is interesting to note the top pick's the Leafs left on the table at the draft. In part one, we will take a look at draft years 1979-1989. Which players could the Leafs have drafted but chose to pass on the offer.

Let’s take a closer look...

1979- Laurie Boschman

1979—The Leafs drafted ninth overall, selecting Centre Laurie Boschman of the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL). Boschman had a decent, if not unspectacular career, netting 229 goals and 577 points in 1009 career NHL games.

Boschman only played for the Leafs for parts of three seasons 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82. He was a valuable member of the now defunct Winnipeg Jets from 1982-83 through 1989-90, where he netted a career high 32 goals and 76 points in the 1984-85 season.

Clearly, 229 goals and 1000 plus career NHL games is nothing to sneeze at, but the Leafs passed on NHL All-Stars, Tom McCarthy, Mike Ramsey, Paul Reinhart, Brian Propp, Brad McCrimmon and Kevin Lowe. They also passed on NHL Hall of Famer Michael Goulet, who netted 548 goals and 1152 points in 1089 career NHL games.

1980- No Pick

1980—The Leafs did not have a first round draft pick in the draft. Instead, as if afflicted with the Leafs’ curse, the Detroit Red Wings were in possession of the Leafs’ pick, with which they selected Right Winger Mike Blaisdell.

Blaisdell would go on to have a terrible NHL career, scoring an abysmal 70 goals and 154 points in 343 career NHL games.

On the surface, the numbers don’t look too bad, but it should be noted that Blaisdell spent more time in the minors, playing for 10 different outfits, including, former Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, Newmarket Saints.

Players passed up by the Red Wings included, NHL All-Stars Berry Pederson and Brent Sutter.

1981- Jim Benning

1981—The Leafs drafted sixth overall in this draft, selecting Defenseman Jim Benning. Benning played 605 NHL games, compiling 52 goals and 191 points.

Benning, who, to say the least was a few notches short of spectacular, was selected in front of NHL All-Stars Mark Hunter (7th), Garth Butcher (10th) and Toni Tanti (12th) as well as NHL Hall of Famer’s, Grant Fuhr (8th) and Al MacInnis (15th). Ouch!

1982- Gary Nylund

1982—The Leafs held the third overall selection in this draft. Surely, not even the Leafs could screw this up, right? Wrong!

The Leafs selected Defenseman Gary Nylund in the number three spot, passing on the likes of NHL All-Stars, Phil Housley (sixth), Dave Andreychuk (16th) and, to the dismay of Leaf fans everywhere, the Leafs also passed on legendary NHL Hall of Fame Defenseman, Scott Stevens who went fifth overall to the Washington Capitals.

Oh, what could have been???

1983- Russ Courtnall

1983—After two brutal draft years in a row, you’d think the Leafs brass would get this one right. No...

The Leafs held the seventh overall pick in the draft, selecting future NHL All-Star Russ Courtnall. When you consider some of the stiffs the Leafs had drafted in the past, Courtnall was a pretty great choice. That said, two picks later the Vancouver Canucks selected NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely.

Neely, who was forced to leave the NHL due to injuries, defined the words “Power Forward”, he was a “franchise player” and very well may have led the Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup victory if not for his well documented injuries.

Neely compiled 395 goals and 694 points in 726 career NHL games. He also added 1241 Penalty Minutes.

Courtnall was a good pick. He played in 1029 career NHL games, compiling 297 goals and 744 points in the process. Courtnall, who played parts of six seasons with Toronto, played 19 seasons in the NHL and was an All-Star in 1994.

1984- Al Iafrate

1984—The Leafs drafted fourth overall, selecting Defenseman Al Iafrate. This was a very strong first round draft, one in which the legendary Mario Lemieux went first overall.

Iafrate, who was the first American Born player ever drafted by the Leafs in the first round of the NHL entry draft, is best known for his lightening fast slap shot, which was clocked at 105.2 MPH. His great shot and gritty play earned him four appearances in the NHL’s All-Star game (1988, 1990, 1993, 1994).

The Leafs passed on the Likes of Shayne Corson (8th), Gary Roberts (12th) and Kevin Hatcher (17th). Any way you slice it, the Leafs did well for themselves by selecting Iafrate.

For the record, legendary Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy was drafted 51st overall by the Montreal Canadiens, fellow Hall of Famer Brett Hull was selected 117th overall by the Calgary Flames and, yet another NHL Hall of Famer, Luc Robitaille was selected 171st overall by the Los Angeles Kings. Apparently, every team was off that day!

1985- Wendel Clark

1985—In an Otherwise Weak draft year, the Leafs got it right when they selected rugged Left Winger Wendel Clark with the first overall pick.

Clark, who was the heart and soul of the Leafs for over a decade, played 793 career NHL games, compiling 330 goals and 564 points, while adding 1690 penalty minutes.

Clark’s totals, while adequate, do not tell the whole story. Wendel had the rare ability to get fans out of their seats. He was able to change the course of a game by throwing a big check or by engaging in one of his legendary fights.

A fan favorite, Clark earned the nickname “Captain Crunch” for his ability to hit opposing players. Statistically Clark may not have been the best Leaf ever, but many fans, especially those who grew up watching the Leafs in the '80s and '90s, would argue that Clark was the best player the Leafs ever had.

Other notable draft choices in 1985? NHL All-Stars Dave Manson (11th), Sean Burke (24th), Joe Neiuwendyk (27th) and Mike Richter (28th).

1986- Vincent Damphousse

1986—The Leafs drafted sixth overall and they did well, landing offensively talented Centre Vincent Damphousse. The trouble is, the Leafs failed to hang onto him.

Damphousse, who was a three time All-Star (1991, 1992, 2002), compiled 432 goals and 1205 points in 1378 career NHL games. He scored 35 goals or more four times (1991-92, 19992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96), which is more than most Leafs scored throughout the '80s and '90s.

Clearly, if the Leafs had managed to keep Damphousse in the fold he could have helped. Sadly, the Leafs failed to keep him and, as such, missed out on an otherwise impressive draft choice.

Other notable players chosen in 1986? Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch was selected ninth overall.

1987- Luke Richardson

1987—This one really hurts. The Leafs picked seventh overall, selecting defenseman Luke Richardson.

Richardson, who had a decent NHL career, played four seasons with the Leafs (1987-88 through 1990-91). Early on, Richardson did not meet expectations and, as such, the Leafs parted ways with Richardson after the 1990-91 season.

Richardson played parts of 22 NHL seasons, compiling 33 goals and 192 points in 1417 career NHL games. Known more for his stay-at-home style and rough and tumble play, Richardson carved out a nice career for himself. However, he never achieved the level of play that is expected out of a seventh overall selection.

Other notable players chosen? Future Hall of Fame inductee Joe Sakic was selected 15th overall by the Quebec Nordiques.

Sakic, was a 13 time All-Star, two time Stanley Cup Champion (1996, 2001) and multiple Gold Medal winner, who compiled an astonishing 625 goals and 1641 points, ranking him 8th overall in all-time regular season points.

Clearly, Sakic is one of the best players in NHL history, which makes the fact the Leafs failed to draft him extremely frustrating to say the least.

Needless to say, by drafting Sakic the Leafs would have altered their destiny, perhaps even a Stanley Cup Championship would have been achieved. Sadly, Leaf fans can only dream...

1988- Scott Pearson

1988—Quite possibly the most disastrous draft in Toronto Maple Leafs’ history. Picking 6th overall, the Leafs selected Left Winger Scott Pearson.

Pearson was a marginal NHL player, spending more time in the minors as he did in the NHL. In 292 career NHL games Pearson compiled 56 goals and 98 points. With all due respect, Pearson was a terrible player and, as it turns out, a wasted pick for the Leafs.

Other notable players chosen? NHL All-Stars Jeremy Roenick (8th), Rod Brind’Amour (9th) and Teemu Selanne (10th). Are you kidding me??? No need to get into the details, all three of these players careers speak for themselves. All three may very well find themselves in the NHL’s Hall of Fame someday. Pearson? Not so much...

Missing out on Sakic in 1987 and Roenick, Selanne or Brind’Amour in 1988 is like adding salt to an already very open wound. Yet another example of the Leafs inability to identify talent...pass the bucket, I’m gonna throw-up!

1989- Scott Thornton

1989—As painful as the 1988 draft was, a case can be made that the 1989 draft was just as bad.

The Leafs had three first round pick’s in 1989, third, twelfth and 21st overall. Surely, with three first round draft choices the Leafs would be able to select at least one player that would be the building blocks of the future. Couldn’t they? Yeah, no....

The Leafs selected Centre Scott Thornton with the third overall pick. Thornton, who was a decent fighter, never fulfilled the expectations that were thrust upon him. Somehow, this “Dud” managed to play 941 NHL games, compiling 144 goals and 285 points.

Not to be outdone, the Leafs followed up their disastrous third pick overall by selecting Rob Pearson with the 12th overall pick. Guess what? Pearson was a marginal player as well, compiling 56 goals and 110 points in 269 career NHL games.

Selecting 21st overall, the Leafs took defenseman Steve Bancroft. With the 22nd pick overall, the Quebec Nordiques selected Adam Foote. You tell me, who made the better selection?

Other notable players selected in the 1989 draft? NHL ALL-Stars Bill Guerin (5th), Bobby Holik (10th) and Olaf Kolzig (19th) were all passed on by the Leafs.

Of note: This draft featured some very impressive “sleeper” pick’s. Future Hall of Famer’s, defenseman Nik Lidstrom was selected 53rd overall, Sergei Fedorov was selected 74th overall (Both by the Detroit Red Wings) and perennial All-Star forward Pavol Bure was selected 113th overall by the Vancouver Canucks.

Clearly, the 1980’s were a disaster for the Toronto Maple Leafs, both on the ice and in the draft department. When you consider that the Leafs had a total of ten top 10 pick’s and came away with only Wendel Clark, Vincent Damphousse, Al Iafrate and Russ Courtnall to show for it, well, it’s enough to make you sick to your pants, isn’t it?

What could have been? Obviously, you cannot turn back time and, if the Leafs did draft properly they may not have had the “advantage” of selecting in all the premium positions that they did, but, what could the Leafs lineup have looked like if they hit a few home-runs instead of hitting all those singles?

Check this out...(Grab the Kleenex box, this will even make Montreal Canadien fans cry...)

What Could Have Been???

Michael Goulet (L)—(1979)
Barry Pederson (C)—(1980)
Al MacInnis (D)—(1981)
Scott Stevens (D)—(1982)
Cam Neely (R)—(1983)
Gary Roberts (L)—(1984)
Wendel Clark (L)—(1985)- Actually got this one right!
Brian Leetch (D)—(1986)- Damphousse was a good pick...
Joe sakic (C)—(1987)
Teemu Selanne (R), Jeremy Roenick(C) or Rod Brind’Amour (C)—(1988)
Bill Guerin (R)—(1989) *Lidstrom, Fedorov, Bure, were not on anyone’s first round radar.
Olaf Kolzig (G)—(1989)
Adam Foote (D)—(1989)

Here’s a taste of the lineup—Ohhhh, what could have been...

Forwards—
Michael Goulet
Barry Pederson
Cam Neely
Wendel Clark
Joe Sakic
Gary Roberts
Jeremy Roenick
Bill Guerin

Defenseman-

Al Mcinnis
Scott Stevens
Brian Leetch
Adam Foote

Olaf Kolzig (Goaltender)

That’s a pretty impressive lineup, one that surely would have brought a Stanley Cup to Toronto, maybe two or three? Sadly, it is all for not, the Leafs past “is what it is” and so, with little to show for the 1980’s we will look at the 1990’s. (Coming soon)

Until next time,

Peace!