Either way, Im in a writing mood. Given the moves the Leafs have made this summer to shore up their defence and goaltending, there has been alot of talk about how they will struggle to score goals. For a moment lets forget that the Leafs currently have four 20+ goal scorers on their roster, a 40 assist player in Matt Stajan, and an offence that was in the top half of the league last year in goals scored.
Lets instead focus on the future. The Maple Leafs have a very exciting group of forward prospects coming through their pipeline-which is something we havent been able to say in....likely forever. In my opinion, the Leafs already possess the talent within their own system to construct a potent top 6 forward group for years to come. So without further ado, here are the top 3 kids I see having the best chance of making the team out of training camp.
#1: JIRI TLUSTY
After being selected by the Leafs 13th overall in the 2006 entry draft, Tlusty has so far been slow to impress. His few appearances with the big club since being drafted have been lackluster, and for awhile it seemed as many fans had given up on him. Thankfully, the Leafs never did. After being sent down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies last season, Tlusty appears to have finally hit his stride. He dominated the AHL by posting impressive point per game numbers (66 points in 66 games). His high point of the year came when he set a Marlies record by scoring a whopping 5 goals in a single game. He now appears poised to finally secure a permanent spot on the Leafs roster and has the offensive ability to be a top line threat in the NHL. My prediction: Tlusty will make the team this year and play on the Leafs first line. 20 goals and around 50 points is a reasonable expectation for his first full season
#2 NAZEM KADRI
Kadri is perhaps the most promising forward prospect the Leafs have had in many, many years. Selected 7th overall in this year's draft, when Kadri puts on the blue and white he will make history as the first player of Lebanese descent to ever play in the NHL. Despite suffering a broken jaw which prevented him from representing Canada at the World Junior Championships, Kadri still put up a very impressive 78 points in 56 games. Some scouts have compared his playmaking abilities to that of Marc Savard, and it is believed he has the talent to step right into the NHL at age 18. However, he may need to bulk his frame up a bit if wants to make the Leafs right out of training camp. Should the Leafs decide to return him to the OHL for another year, Kadri is expected to put up around 90 points-numbers similar to Cody Hodgson. My prediction: I think Kadri has a 50-50 shot at making the Leafs this year, but I predict he will be returned to the OHL's London Knights for one more season where he will improve upon his already impressive numbers.
#3 MIKHAIL STEFANOVICH
Mikhail Stefanovich wasn't drafted until the 4th round in 2008, so when his offensive totals exploded this past year in the OMJHL, it appears the Leafs scouting staff found a diamond in the rough that day. Make no mistake about it, Stefanovich is a pure goal scorer. He racked up 49 of them this past season with the Quebec Remparts, and finished the year with a total of 76 points. At this point, I would rate him as the Leafs 3rd best prospect, behind only Kadri and Tlusty. He seems destined to be a key part of our top 6, and personally I see him being a good fit on a line with Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. He is already good friends with both players, and his explosive offensive would round out a deadly scoring line. He has the talent to make the Leafs this year, but if Tlusty or Kadri earn roster spots there may not be enough space for him. Therefore, its more likely he plays a year or two in the AHL before he is a mainstay in the Leafs lineup. My prediction: Stefanovich is a longshot to make the team right away, although a player with his talent cant be ruled out. I predict he plays this season with the Toronto Marlies and scores around 60 points.
