NHL draft lottery winners: Maple Leafs aren't the only ones
Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan earned three Stanley Cup rings as a player to prove he knows how to win, and now he can have Auston Matthews to prove he knows how to lose effectively.
Toronto’s winning of the draft lottery is a reminder that Shanahan is laying out the blueprint for how to properly rebuild an NHL team.
While the securing of the No. 1 pick required luck, there’s no denying that Shanahan has skillfully managed his team to give it the best chance to rise as quickly as possible. The commitment to shedding big-contract veterans. Refusing to rush youngsters. The hiring of general manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Mike Babcock. The public relations campaign to be honest with Toronto fans about what the team was doing.
Shanahan could not have engineered this any better.
And no one can accuse the Maple Leafs of tanking because there was a league-wide consensus that Babcock elevated the Leafs' compete-level to their highest in years.
The Maple Leafs, who had the highest chances (20%) of picking No. 1 on June 24, were the big winner in the draft lottery.
Here are the other winners:
2. Auston Matthews: Because he is from Arizona, maybe he would have preferred to land in a U.S. city. But when you are a potential superstar, Toronto is the place to be.
He will have marketing opportunities that most cities can't compete with. Although the Maple Leafs have reached the playoffs once in 11 years, this is still an iconic franchise. When you play for the Leafs, there is a historic significance that extends beyond being an NHL player. It is an Original Six franchise.
Most importantly, Matthews, who played in the Swiss League last season, is going to be a centerpiece on a team that looks like it will be able to rocket toward the top of the standings. Matthews will be joining William Nylander, Mitch Marner, among others, on an organization that is stockpiling young talent.
3. Winnipeg Jets: They finished 25th in the standings, and yet they moved up to the No. 2 pick.
Before the lottery, they were looking at adding a quality player in the draft and now they are going to land a potential superstar winger to play with 23-year-old center Mark Scheifele.
The Jets will have an impressive collection of young talent.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets: They had the fourth-worst record and ended up with the No. 3 draft pick. Moving up one place is a monumental leap because there are three prospects with superstar potential.
Matthews is the consensus No. 1, but Finnish left wing Patrik Laine (pronounced LIE-Neh) and Finnish right wing Jesse Puljujarvi are in his neighborhood. Laine is 6-4, and has an Alex Ovechkin-style game. The 6-3 Puljujarvi is a premium offensive player. Former Calgary Flames general manager Craig Button, now a draft analyst, has said picking between the two is like trying to decide whether you liked former Finnish stars Jari Kurri or Teemu Selanne better.
The Blue Jackets are guaranteed to land an offensive force, someone who can help them win back fans lost in their recent struggle.
5. Arizona Coyotes: It looks like nothing good happened for this team in the lottery. They still have the seventh pick, and they won’t be able to draft Matthews.
But the Edmonton Oilers sliding down to No. 4 increases the chances that the Coyotes would be able to move up and draft Matthew Tkachuk, the son of former NHL star Keith Tkachuk. The Coyotes have an extra first-round pick (from the New York Rangers) they can move.
Like his father, Tkachuk is power forward who plays with intensity and a strong work ethic. With Shane Doan nearing retirement, Tkachuk could step in and provide some similar qualities.
Tkachuk's name recognition would help the Coyotes' marketing department. The elder Tkachuk is as popular as Doan and Jeremy Roenick.
The Oilers probably would be open to trading down because they want a defenseman and there are no defenseman ranked at No. 4.
If the Oilers ended up with No. 7 and another first-round pick from the Coyotes, they could use the No. 7 to land Russian defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (Windor Spitfires, Ontario Hockey League) or Finnish defenseman Olli Juolevi (London Knights, OHL) or Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia Sting, OHL), son of former NHL player Jeff Chychrun. Then the Oilers could package the Coyotes' other first-rounder with a veteran forward to land a veteran defenseman.