Maple Leafs Appear Set to Lose Two Former Draft Picks on Friday

At 5:00 PM on August 15th, 29 NCAA draft picks will have their NHL rights expire and will then become free to sign anywhere if they do not agree to terms on entry-level contracts with the teams that drafted them.

The Leafs saw the rights to 2019 fifth-round pick Michael Koster expire and watched him sign with the Iowa Wild of the AHL in July after he filed graduation papers early.

Under Brad Treliving, the Leafs have revamped their NHL roster and began to turn over their prospect pool, letting prospects drafted by Kyle Dubas sign with other organizations in North America and Europe.

The Leafs favoured smaller, mobile, skilled players under former GM Kyle Dubas, including 2020 seventh-round picks John Fusco and Wyatt Schingoethe.

Schingoethe, from Illinois, is a small center that played the last four seasons at Western Michigan University where he tallied five goals and 11 points in 31 games last season.

The 24-year-old Fusco played his last three seasons at Dartmouth College where he had a very productive final season with 21 points in 31 games.

Unless something changes drastically leading up to the deadline on Friday, both players will be able to sign with any NHL team.

Despite having a thin prospect pool, neither player seems to be the type of player that Treliving and head coach Craig Berube prefer, but there are many other potential NCAA free agents that the Leafs could sign instead once they become free agents at 5:00 PM on Friday.