Pick offers many possibilities

A look at seven players Leafs could nab at No. 25 in the Thursday’s draft

If one good thing came of a trade deadline that ultimately didn’t work out, playoffs-wise, for the Maple Leafs, it’s that general manager Kyle Dubas resisted the temptation to trade his first-round pick.

He has done so plenty of times, most recently in 2021 in the Nick Foligno deal. When the Leafs have picked in the first round, they typically have done so in the second half of the first round, when the pickings start to get slim.

They’re at No. 25 this year, a position that has landed them four picks in the past: Stuart Percy (2011, 12 NHL games); Todd Gill (1984, 1,007 NHL games), Peter Ihnac ák (1982, 417 NHL games) and Craig Muni (1980, 819 NHL games).

Players in the bottom part of the first round tend to take a while to make an imprint.

Timothy Liljegren (17th in 2017) and Rasmus Sandin (29th in 2018) only began making their mark this year. And the jury is out on Rodion Amirov (15th in 2020), who is undergoing chemotherapy and battling cancer.

Still some gems can be found at 25. Jack Roslovic, taken in 2015 by the Jets, had 22 goals for the Blue Jackets last season.

And the Bruins’ David Pastrnak might have been the steal of the 2014 draft.

The Leafs’ pick will be important to stocking their cupboard. Barring a trade, they only have two other selections: Winnipeg’s third-round pick, acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for Travis Dermott, and their own seventh-rounder.

Here are some possibilities at No. 25 this year:

Noah Ostlund, forward

North American Central Scouting puts the five-foot-11 Swede at No. 25, with chief scout Mark Seidel likening him to Carolina forward

Teuvo Teravainen. He’s the kind of player who makes his teammates better, with a high hockey IQ and able to create chances. He had nine goals and 33 assists in 32 games for the Djurgardens junior club. He has represented Sweden multiple times (under-16s, under-18s) and is probably a lock for their world junior team.

Owen Pickering, defence

Elite Prospects pegs the Swift Current Broncos blueliner at No. 16, though the service’s aggregate ranking — combining a variety of other draft lists — puts him at 25. He had nine goals and 24 assists in the WHL and is a member of Canada’s under-18 squad. At six-footfive, he’d be an imposing presence already on the blue line, though at 179 pounds, he still has to grow into that frame. He’s mobile, fast and left-handed.

Ryan Chesley, defence

TSN draft guru Bob McKenzie, who polls scouts, has Chesley at No. 25. The six-foot, right-handed American is already 201 pounds. He’s a puck-moving, two-way defender who can be physical. He represented the U.S. at the under-18s twice — he had a goal and two assists against Canada at the latest event in May — and has committed to the University of Minnesota. The Leafs haven’t minded players developing within quality NCAA programs; prospect Matt Knies is at Minnesota.

Rutger McGroarty, centre

Sportsnet seems an outlier having McGroarty at No. 25, since most scouting services have him going later, even in the second round. The 18-year-old is six-foot-one, with plenty of upside. He’s a goal-scorer, a power forward with some skill, who should end up on a tea’s top two lines. He had 35 goals in 54 games with the U.S. National Development Program, including eight at the May under-18s. He had 15 goals in 25 games with the national development team that played in the USHL. He’s committed to Michigan. His dad, Jim, is from Streetsville.

Lane Hutson, defence

NHL Central Scouting has him as the 25th-ranked skater from North America. Hutson had 32 points in 27 games for the U.S. National Development Program, leading all defencemen. He’s probably not going to go in the first round, largely because NHL teams would be afraid of his size; he’s five-foot-eight. But the Leafs are not afraid of smaller players and he probably has not stopped growing. His 20-year-old brother, Quinn, is 5-11 and underwent a growth spurt at 19.

Alexander Perevalov, forward

McKeen’s Hockey has the six-foot Russian winger at No. 25, a goalscorer from the Lokomotiv system. It’s not known for developing NHL players, though the Leafs once drafted Egor Korshkov from there. Perevalov, who had 25 goals in 42 games last year, has a heavy shot. He also is a key penalty killer, suggesting an all-round game. He represented Russia at the under-16s two years ago, but hasn’t been back to the national team. Given the politics around Russians these days, it would surprise no one if quality Russian players saw their draft positions drop or fall away altogether.

Tyler Brennan, goalie

NHL Central Scouting rates Brennan the top goaltender available in the draft, though the ranking services have him as a late secondround to mid-fourth round, so he should be available if the Leafs want to go off the board at No. 25. Brennan, of the Prince George Cougars, is six-foot-four, the right height for goalies these days. He has represented Canada at the under-17s and under-18s.