It might seem that the NHL Entry Draft hasn’t been a particularly important building tool for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The club has only held onto its first-round pick in two of the last six drafts and likely won’t have a first-rounder again until 2028. Instead, management has solidified the team by adding win-now players through free agency and acquiring players using draft capital and other future assets in trades, as is typically the case for Stanley Cup contenders.
However, the Maple Leafs also have an impressive track record at the draft table. While they have been boosted by key free agent acquisitions like John Tavares, Anthony Stolarz and Chris Tanev, and by trade additions like Jake McCabe and Scott Laughton, the draft has formed the core of this group. That homegrown foundation of talent is now standing tall in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The “Big Four” of the Maple Leafs’ Draft Lottery Years
We all know the Maple Leafs’ “Core Four” of Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. However, the foundational group that was drafted when the franchise was at a low point and helped them grow into perennial contenders doesn’t include Tavares but rather Toronto’s longest-tenured player, Morgan Rielly.
Although the Maple Leafs’ core has been criticized for their playoff failures of the past decade, it should be acknowledged and celebrated that the organization managed to hit on every one of their high draft choices to reach this point. Between 2012 and 2016, Toronto held four top-eight selections and made the most of them with the four aforementioned players.
Rielly was the fifth overall pick in the 2012 Draft, selected after Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk and Griffin Reinhart, and has since played more games (873) than any other player in that year’s class (he also ranks fourth in points despite being a defenceman). Although the 31-year-old took plenty of criticism for a challenging 2024-25 regular season, he has caught fire in the playoffs with three goals and six points in eight games.
Auston Matthews and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
The forever-linked Nylander, Marner and Matthews were taken in consecutive drafts (2014 to 2016) and rank among the best players in the game, the cream of the crop of their draft classes. Nylander was selected eighth in 2014 following a trio of notable draft flops (Michael Dal Colle, Jake Virtanen and Haydn Fleury) and now ranks fifth in points amidst a talented class that includes Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak. In the postseason, he leads the club with six goals and 13 points in eight games.
One year later, Marner joined the fold, being drafted fourth overall from the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights. While he hasn’t quite kept up with the top selection in 2015 (that would be Connor McDavid), he ranks second in scoring, ahead of Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho and Jack Eichel. He is also fresh off an eventful few days that included becoming a dad, celebrating his birthday and notching the game-winner in Game 2.
The organization got real value out of their No. 1 overall selection in 2016, as Matthews comfortably leads his draft class in scoring while emerging as one of the game’s top goal scorers.
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Maple Leafs Have Hit on Later Picks, Too
Finding difference-makers with top-10 draft choices is commendable, but also expected. Less expected, however, is hitting on later picks. The Maple Leafs have continued to find contributors even without the benefit of high picks.
First and foremost, selecting Matthew Knies with the 57th overall pick in the 2021 Draft is a decision that looks better and better by the day. Since finishing his college career at the University of Minnesota, he has made an impact with the Maple Leafs as a speedy, physical force in the top-six. The 22-year-old ranks sixth in career goals (44) and ninth in points (94) among his draft class and has stood out in the postseason, quickly developing a reputation as a clutch playoff force with seven goals and 12 points in 22 postseason games.
Matthew Knies, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
While Knies is the only star-calibre player on the current roster who has cemented himself as a draft steal beyond the first round, he isn’t the only later pick playing a key role on the team. Joseph Woll (62nd overall in 2016) was thrust into the starter’s net for the first time since April 17 on Wednesday, in light of Stolarz’s head injury and delivered a critical Game 2 victory. Depending on the status of Stolarz, Woll may loom as Toronto’s most important player as the series shifts to Florida.
Helping the cause in front of Woll is Pontus Holmberg (156th overall in 2018), who has provided some critical versatility while playing up and down the lineup. Nicholas Robertson (53rd overall in 2019) has been relegated to the press box through most of the playoff run, but offers some insurance upfront coming off a 15-goal season. Finally, the Maple Leafs have Dennis Hildeby (112nd overall in 2022) on hand should any further netminding injuries arise.
Beyond draftees that have remained with the Maple Leafs organization, there is a veritable treasure trove of intriguing draft finds that have passed through the organization. Nazem Kadri, Luke Schenn, Connor Brown, Carter Verhaeghe, Dakota Joshua, Pierre Engvall, Travis Dermott, Timothy Liljegren, Rasmus Sandin and Sean Durzi are among the many players finding success elsewhere after being brought into the league by Toronto. More recently, prospects like Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin have demonstrated enough promising growth to ultimately serve as key trade tools that helped to land Laughton and Brandon Carlo.
Maple Leafs More Homegrown Than Panthers
The draft is a viable, common roster-building approach that can breed success. However, it’s not necessarily the predominant path for every NHL franchise. Case in point, the Panthers. While five of Toronto’s top six scorers in both the regular season and the playoffs were drafted by the team, just two of Florida’s top 10 playoff scorers (Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov) came to them through the draft.
Sure, the Panthers front office deserves plenty of credit for a series of savvy trades that have landed them Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, but they’ve struggled to keep their picks in-house. For every Lundell, Barkov or Aaron Ekblad, there are more cases of outgoing draftees, such as Zach Hyman, Lawson Crouse, Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar, or draft busts, such as Grigori Denisenko and Spencer Knight. Florida also hasn’t made a first-round selection since 2021.
There is no one right or wrong way to build a roster, but it speaks to a well-managed organization to select the right players and then have the proper structure in place to effectively develop their game along the way. Now, the Maple Leafs get to reap the benefits of their developmental success stories. Nylander, Marner, Knies, and, to an admittedly lesser extent at this point, Matthews are anchoring the club’s playoff surge, with Woll now taking over responsibilities between the pipes and numerous depth draftees assuming key role-player duties.
