Maple Leafs Could Use Smart Tactic to Try to Gain an Edge at the Upcoming NHL Entry Draft

A trend that has picked up in recent years in relation to the NHL Entry Draft has been selecting overage prospects. A lot of focus is primarily focused on the most recent batch of draft eligible players, but there are certain advantages to selecting overage prospects.

They are slightly more risky options since they were overlooked during their draft-eligible years but that also means that teams have a scouting report on them already and that they have another year of experience under their belt, which can be seen as a benefit.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' pipeline isn't all that great outside of Easton Cowan and Ben Danford.

Carrying no first round picks for the next 3 seasons won't help their cause either, which could find them looking into overage prospects as a means of acquiring young talent who is closer to being ready to jump in and play against men.

Some options the Leafs could look into this year includes forward Kristian Epperson and defensemen Bryce Pickford and Francesco Dell'Elce, as ranked in their range by Daily Faceoff.

Epperson decided to forego the U.S. National Development team for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit and it worked to his favour. He went from 4 goals and 11 points in 32 games in 2023-24 in the USHL to 80 points in 58 games with the Spirit.

Pickford won the WHL championship in 2023 with the Seattle Thunderbirds but failed to progress in 2023-24 with just 17 points in 65 games.

However with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2024-25, Pickford not only claimed his second championship, but he added 20 goals and 47 points during the regular season and another 24 points in 18 playoff games.

Dell'Elce went undrafted in both 2023 and 2024 but hasn't let that stunt his potential growth. He scored 38 points in 54 games for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL in 2023-24 before moving to UMass-Amherst this past season with 24 points in 40 games.

The Maple Leafs could look at any combination of these players this year with 6 picks in the final 6 rounds.

There are a lot of decent options to choose from, and at a variety of positions as well, giving them a chance at taking that home-run swing by adding an older prospect into their pipeline who may be able to contribute at the AHL and NHL levels sooner than some of the younger guys who might be available.