Stamkos or a Blue-Liner For Leafs First Round Choice?
Let’s say hypothetically that the Leafs win the draft lottery and are allowed to choose 1st overall. The immediate choice most people make is Steve Stamkos from Sarnia, who is considered by the majority to be the most talented player in this years draft. However, Stamkos is a centre and that might not be the best position for the Leafs to look to fill.
This year in the National Hockey League in the goals-for category, the Leafs sit ahead of 11 other teams. However in the goals-against column, only two teams are worse. While some feel Toskala is a god and some much less, most fans can agree that Toskala has done a respectable job and is not the problem in the Leafs GA category. That points the finger square on the defense and any casual observer can verify that the Leafs d-men have been atrocious this season.
So that brings up the question, with 6 of the top 10 ranked North American prospects for this years draft being defensemen, should the Leafs choose the most talented player, or a slightly less talented player who can help where they need it the most? Here are a few names the Leafs might think about looking to instead of Stamkos:
2 Overall - Drew Doughty:
Doughty is a 6 foot defenseman for the Guelph Storm and while not the tallest, at 213 pounds he’s a big boy who should only get bigger and stronger. Doughty has 151 points in 177 regular season games in the OHL, so he’s no stranger to the offensive game either.
3 Overall - Zach Bogosian:
New York’s Bogosian plays for the Petes and at 6′2 and 200 pounds having not yet reached his 18th birthday, he’s a big presence. Like Doughty, Bogosian is no stranger to offense, but unlike Doughty who has a tendency to be on the minus side of +/-, Bogosian is sitting at +10 this season.
5 Overall - Alex Pietrangelo:
Anyone remember Frank Pietrangelo? I don’t remember the exact details but these two have some obscure relation. Alex’s dad is Frank’s cousin or something like that. Who cares about Frank though when Alex has 90 points in 108 games with the Ice Dogs. Did I mention that in those two seasons he was +40 last year and is currently +20 this year? He’s also 6′4 and 210 pounds. Talk about a complete package.
6 Overall - Tyler Myers:
This guy is 6′6 but only 194 pounds. He’s got a lot of room on that frame for some more mass and if he fills out to potential could be a huge presence on the blue line. His downside is that compared to the guys mentioned thus far, he isn’t a very offensive guy and with a -21 in the 06/07 season, doesn’t really merit being chosen over any of the preceding players.
7 Overall - Luke Schenn:
At 6′3 and 209 Schenn is another big kid. He puts up respectable numbers playing for Kelowna in the WHL but also spends a lot of time in the box. Not surprising though since he’s a physical type player, which is something that the wouldn’t hurt the Leafs to have on their blue line.
8 Overall - Colby Robak:
Matching Schenn at 6′3 this 202 pound blue liner tops out the WHL trio. He’s got 25 points in 57 games this year for the Wheat Kings and is -8 with 25 PIM. While maybe not as impressive as some of the guys preceding him on this list, he’ll likely be chosen with a higher pick which means he’s more accessible if the Leafs wanted to trade down picks in order to also bring in some existing NHL talent.
So out out these 6 players listed, if LeafsAreTrash.com had the option of playing GM for a day at draft time, who would we pick? The winner is…
Alex Pietrangelo!
Pietrangelo is a player who really has it all. Size, skill, and most importantly, very strong defensive awareness. This isn’t a one dimensional D-man who’s great on the power play but can’t defend against an odd-man rush. He’s ranked 5th overall for North American players, but we think it’s very possible he’ll go within the top three. However it’s unlikely that very many teams would pass over Stamkos and Doughty. This means that if the Leafs decide that Alex Pietrangelo is the guy for them, they can probably trade down to get a pick between three and five, and pickup some young talent from the beneficiary of their 1st pick.
Who would you take? Leave your comments with your hopeful pick for the Leafs in this years draft. We have a feeling we’ll be seeing the name Stamkos a lot!
Stumble it!
February 16th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I think the fixation on Stamkos (other than him being the top pick) is that other than Sundin the Leafs don’t have an elite offensive threat.
I definitely think that there will be strong consideration for taking a defenceman although if the Leafs get the top pick I would be absolutely shocked if they moved down in the draft unless it was an insane pick.
Of course if Sundin goes to Anaheim maybe the Leafs can get Stamkos and a defenceman
March 27th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
In my opinion, if Toronto doesn’t end up with Stamkos and finishes with a pick somewhere from 5-10ish, they should take Filatov, he would look great with Kulemen (sp?) for many years to come. If they don’t want to go for a forward, the next best d-man would be Schenn, but he might not be there if they are picking 5-10.. More offensive options could be beach, wilson and hodgson.. which are all good picks for any rebuilding (or semi-rebuilding) franchise.