2012 Entry Draft comes near, what will Toronto pick?
It has been a few very exciting weeks in the Leafs nation during the couple last weeks, when the Leafs signed A. Filatov to be their new GM.
Many of the Leaf fans were not happy at all with the signing of Filatov, mostly due to his inexperience at a GM job.
"I know it might seem like disappointing news to Leaf fans, but i will promise that during my stay here the cup will belong to the Maple Leafs at one point. Put i cannot promise anything for the next season since we are in the middle of a heavy rebuild, and you could see some of the older players leaving."
That seems like a lot of promises from GM A. Filatov, and the Leafs fans will be mad andwon't forget the promises he made, if he does not bring the cup home to Toronto while his stay.
But we'll report to you again at the 2012 NHL Draft!
-Nhl.com
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2012 NHL Draft
And here we are with the results of the 2012 NHL Draft, it was a lot of excitement for the leafs, and we'll review how newly appointed GM A. Filatov did his job. Firstly, we'll look at the two trades he made:
[FIELDSET="1st Trade"]
Toronto gets: RW Evgeny Kuznetsov, 2013 3rd Round Pick, 2012 5th Round Pick (Dmitri Kuznetsov)
Washington gets: RW Joffrey Lupul
[/FIELDSET]
Pretty interesting trade. A little bit lopsided to Caps favor since Lupul is gonna help them immediately, while Leafs get two Draft picks and a good Forward prospect in Evgeny Kuznetsov, although Kuznetsov has the Russian Factor in him, which makes this deal a bit risky.
[FIELDSET="2nd Trade"]
Toronto gets: LW Brandon Saad, C Mark Mcneill
Chicago gets: C Tim Connolly, C Andrew Crescenzi
[/FIELDSET]
Another deal for the leafs with makes their core a little younger, and getting two highly touted prospects that could turn both into solid NHLers.
And now, a little look at the player GM A. Filatov drafted:
1st Round, 4th Overall:
C, Alex Galchenyuk
Projection: 1st Line Center
A good playmaking center. Has good skating and shot, soft hands, could improve his defensive game a bit. Propably 1-2 years away from making the Leafs roster.
2nd Round, 34th Overall:
G, Andrei Vasilevski
Projection: Elite #1 Goaltender
Big and fast goaltender, knows how to use his size as a advantage.
Has a quick and fast glove. Needs to be more consistent. 2-3 Years away from making it to the NHL as a Backup.
2nd Round, 46th Overall:
C, Mark Jankowski
Projection: 1st or 2nd Line Center
Another playmaking center prospect for the Leafs. Has the potential to become a good 1st or 2nd Liner, but it very raw and it could take him 3-5 years to crack the Leafs roster.
5th Round, 124 Overall:
D, Esa Lindell
Projection: 3rd Pairing defenseman
An agile and quick offensive-defenceman, has an accurate and quick shot, shot hands and makes really good passes around the offensive zone. Most likely 5-6 years away from making it to the NHL, needs a lot of work.
5th Round, 131st Overall:
D, Dmitri Kuznetsov
Projection: 2nd Pairing Defenseman
HUGE defensive-defenseman, 6'7" and 232lbs at 18 years old, this guy can and will use his huge size to move other players out of his way. Even though he is a big guy, he is still a fast skater and owns a hard shot. 3-4 away from making the NHL.
6th Round, 154th Overall:
LW, Pavel Denisov
Projection: 4th line winger or career AHLer
Really, really raw player, and is far froming the NHL, slow skater, not physical and could be prone to injuries. Has a good shot though.
6+ years away from making the nHL.
7th Round,
G, Joonas Korpisalo
Projection: Backup Goaltender
Is really raw and will need to spend some time in Finnish SM-Liiga and AHL when the time comes. Has good positioning and knows how to handle rebounds, could be faster though.
And that's the end of our Draft Repot, have a nice day!
-NHL.com
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