Would the Leafs be better off drafting a defenseman?

I think they should draft the best player available when their turn comes. They need help at all positions

Currently we’ve got 8.1% chance of winning the lottery (sportnet connect this morning), so I don’t think it would be out there to think TO would have a least 2 more 1st. We moved up to get Luke, I think we could still get his brother or Kane as a power forward to start the offensive blocks…..but I think what TO needs a true certified QB on the pp, enter Ryan Ellis, young and very creative on the blue line…..Ellis and Stralman could be a power to be reckoned with. So if the stars line up right, we could still get another D-Dman, a power center
, and a O-Dman as well. And hopefully with some prospect ready to come up a training Camp, and possibility of snagging prospect from other teams (Filatov, dreaming), we’d cut the building in half and start strenghting the layers. And another thing, we should be looking at Finlands goalie they had at he WJC….Janus something……so Dominic Hetchek (never liked the guy, but great moves), would make Pogge focus more and have a good goalie tamden in a couple years.

I’d love to have Ellis with preferably a second first round pick higher up in the draft. Him quarterbacking both points for Canada at the WJ had me drooling every time.

@Rober – Ellis is the man! He could go very high, higher than anticipated too …

Alec, if the fact is that Toskala is not focused or not willing to play into this could actually be a plus. This is exactly what I meant by GM’s not focusing on stats.

Burke: Yes, he’s available.
Holland: Yeah, but he stinks and isn’t putting in the effort. What did they give LA for LaBarbera?
Burke: But he’s purposely not working on the issues we would like him to because he isn’t in our plans. On a contender (with only one more year on the books), he’s the goalie from last season.
Holland: Fine .. fine, stop @$%@ing badgering me. Here’s a 1st, and (pfft, tee hee) Osgoode, and heck since you’re so honest, have Datsyuk too…

If the Leafs are sitting in the 2nd spot in the draft, easily they select Hedman, it’s a no brainer. After that, especially with the injury to Cowan, it’s somewhat of a crap shoot.

I myself am a huge fan of the Schenn name. Luke, in his first season with Toronto, has shown the leadership that will likely make him Captain of the Leafs within the near future. Brayden Schenn, his younger brother, has shown similar traits with his junior club, Brandon Wheat Kings, and sits favourably ranked right around where the Leafs are expected to pick. I would be very surprised if the Leafs pass on the young Western Hockey League forward, and last years rookie of the year.

This is a deep draft, and with the many draft picks Brian Burke should be able to acquire on deadline day, I’m positive he’s going to find a sleeper, or three. Hopefully in that group, he’s capable of picking some more defensive help.

And Matt Gilroy to the Leafs, I’d bank on that one happening.

I know everyone is playing their favorites here so I’ll throw mine. I think Burke will find another first round pick. The challenge of course is to acquire one that will land them drafting between the 10-15 spots and not the likely 22-30, although that would not be so bad. Although I too would love to see a pairing of Cowen and Schenn, it is apparent the Leafs do not have a offensive game-breaker.

With the way the season is unfolding, I think at best the Leafs will be drafting number three overall, and that is a good thing. Once Tavares and Hedman are gone, that’s when it gets interesting. Who do you pick? I vote for Brampton’s Matt Duchene. He is the clone of Cody Hodgson and I can tell you if the teams drafting before Vancouver in the ’08 Draft last year could do it all over again, Hodgson would have been taken much higher than the #10 spot.

Watching the game against Buffalo, you can argue the Sabres d-men core is not the best in the league but they certainly have offensive players to make up for it, not to mention the best line of defence with netminder Ryan Miller.

I think Duchene is a fantastic piece to build around and it appears the Cowen injury could prove to be a blessing for Toronto.

I am positive due to Cowen’s season-ending injury, most teams drafting in the top-10 will not take a chance on him. History in the draft has shown that injuries scare teams into letting a player slide even further down the board.

If Burke does pick up another ’09 first round pick, at best it will be in the #15-20 slot. Hopefully Cowen will still be available at 15 or 16.

You can tip your hat to LA and their young defence core if you want, but look at all the offensive players they chosen in the past few drafts. Most of them were taken in the first round and are a big reason why LA is still in the playoff hunt.

If Toronto is drafting with the #1 or #2 pick overall, it is obvious who they will take. But if they are lucky enough to be at #3, please take Matt Duchene. In no way will any Leaf fan be disappointed.

I think last year was the class to grab a defenceman from and the Leafs did exactly that. This year is the time to grab a forward and no matter where the Leafs fall in that top ten they’ll walk away with a good one.
I’m not sure what plagues Toronto’s D but I think once they purge Kaberle and Kubina they’ll be better. I think it’s been hard for those two to adjust to the new style of defence that Wilson uses (zone) rather than Maurice’s man to man. Not to mention this baloney about two hands on the stick. And it doesn’t help when you have no confidence in your goalie because you try to do too much at both ends of the rink.