It's that time of year. I thought before we get into the draft, we should get into what the Maple Leafs are trying to do. The first order of the day is that the Leafs have four players on the market. No one too surprising: Nikita Zaitsev, William Nylander, Nazem Kadri, and finally Patrick Marleau. The Maple Leafs are very busy. They would love to get a first-round pick again. But first-round picks are hard to come by; it seems teams are not eager to give them up.
There is speculation of tension in the Leafs management, although the team is denying all reports. The Maple Leafs are saying their management team is united. Nevertheless, there is a feeling that the window for the Leafs to win is small. They have to win soon, so they are going to have to get busy this draft.
So here are my picks in the second and third round:
52 Simon Holmström, RW/LW
Simon Holstrom is nimble, with explosive speed. He is a gifted forward in the offensive game, who is aware of his surroundings. He has excellent vision, making the plays without mistakes. He has had some injuries to overcome, which may mean he is still available in the second round. Simon would be a steal.
83 Jake Lee, Defence
Jake is a stay-home defender who is rough around the edges. Jake has a heavy slap shot from the point and needs to use it more often. He will need patience, but given a chance, Jake should be able to develop. He needs help with his puck-moving skills. He is solid in his own zone but needs to get stronger. It will come in time.
For the rest of the picks, I am just going to list them.
115 Reece Newkirk, Centre
146 Evgeni Oksentyuk, Right Wing
208 Mike Koster, Defence
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