Leafs Have a Chance to Draft a Projected Former Top-10 Pick at the Upcoming Entry Draft
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
The Maple Leafs have a rare opportunity in selecting a former top-10 projected pick somewhere in the second round should centre Ivan Ryabkin continue to fall.
For a team like Toronto Maple Leafs, first round picks are very important trade assets as evidenced by how they operated at the trade deadline in recent years. This year's first round selection belongs to Chicago from the Jake McCabe trade they made a few years ago.
Nevertheless, there will always be opportunities to strike in the second round should the Leafs not be willing to bite at the high cost of trying to acquire a first round pick. One player in particular that could be labelled as high-risk and high-reward is centre Ivan Ryabkin.
Once seen as a legitimate top-10 pick going into his draft year, the Russian centre has fallen off in the rankings to a point where he might no longer be a first round selection. At one point he was talked about in the same breath as Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov but things took a turn.
He was scratched in the Russian Junior League, which is almost unheard of, and then he was let go by his team and ended up signing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. It took some time for him to acclimate to his new surroundings but he ended up helping the Lumberjacks claim the championship.
Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Find a Way to Add Ivan Ryabkin to Their Prospect Pool
Ryabkin finished the season with 19 goals and 30 points in 27 games and added 7 goals and 16 points in 14 post-season contests. For Moscow Dynamo Jr of the MHL, he added an additional 12 points in 15 contests. He made the best of a tough situation and could be a sleeper pick for the Leafs.
The centre stands in at 5'11 and 205 pounds and plays a style that's a little different than most Russian-born players as he has a bruising element to his game. He has all the tools to be a difference maker but just needs to find the consistency to make it happen.
There are some issues like his level of compete and some claim his hockey IQ isn't the best but if he does fall into the second round and the Maple Leafs have a chance at scooping him up, they should take the risk and add him to a prospect pool that needs help down the middle.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 11 | 3100 ANSWERS Leafs Have a Chance to Draft a Projected Former Top-10 Pick at the Upcoming Entry Draft Should the Maple Leafs look to take a home run swing on Ivan Ryabkin? | ||
| Yes | 1603 | 51.7 % |
| No | 1497 | 48.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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