The fruits of Kyle Dubas' labour on the draft floor are finally beginning to show, beginning with the 2018 draft class
From April 2015 to May 2018, Kyle Dubas' draft influence was not very prevalent as London Knights' owner Mark Hunter, who was brought in for his drafting and scouting abilities, took the lead on the draft floor. In the drafts orchestrated by Hunter from 2015 to 2017, the Leafs had way more swings and misses than homeruns or even base hits.
Of the 8 picks made in 2015, one being Mitch Marner, only he, Travis Dermott and Dmytro Timashov have played games in the NHL. In 2016, the Leafs had 11 picks, of which only 3 have played more than a handful of games, led by Auston Matthews' 428. Carl Grundstrom only played a handful of games for the Leafs before he was traded to LA while Yegor Korshkov lasted 1 game, Keaton Middleton played 3 games (none for the Leafs) and Joseph Woll has looked good when called upon but has only played 4 games total.
2017, Mark Hunter's last draft before he was let go, has produced only one NHLer in Timothy Liljegren. The remaining 6 picks haven't even been on the radar of the Leafs or any other NHL team.
In 2018, Kyle Dubas was finally able to implement his draft strategy and of the 9 picks he made, 5 of them have already played in the NHL. Sean Durzi would be nice to have right now given the injury issues, but Mac Hollowell, Filip Kral and Pontus Holmberg have all been impressive in their short stints so far, while Rasmus Sandin has earned a full-time role with the club. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev looks ready for spot duty with the way he has been playing with the Marlies this season as well, for what that's worth.
Dubas understood that the Leafs needed to develop young defensive depth when he first took over GM duties in 2018 and thanks to the 2018 draft, the Leafs have been able to tread water this season without having to mortgage the future in a trade with Rielly, Brodie, Muzzin and now Jordie Benn out because the likes of Hollowell and Kral are ready and able to help keep the ship sailing until their veteran counterparts return to full health. Dubas' first draft at the head of the table with the Leafs continues to look better and better and when you look at the drafts since, the Leafs have a far deeper prospect pool than people want to believe.
We have already begun to see the fruits of Dubas' labour. I'm sure we'll see more as the seasons tick on by.
Previously on Maple Leafs Daily
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 24 | 228 ANSWERS The fruits of Kyle Dubas' labour on the draft floor are finally beginning to show, beginning with the 2018 draft class How do you feel about Kyle Dubas' ability to draft and develop players? | ||
| Dubas has done a great job | 124 | 54.4 % |
| Dubas has done a mediocre job | 60 | 26.3 % |
| Dubas shouldn't be running the drafts | 44 | 19.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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