A trio of Leafs prospects who are no longer safe now that Kyle Dubas is gone
Say what you will about Kyle Dubas' tenure in Toronto and some of the trades he had made while at the helm for the Leafs, but there's no denying that the drafting and development in Toronto has been pretty solid under Dubas' leadership.
After Mark Hunter botched a trio of drafts between 2015 and 2017, landing only the no-brainer 1st round picks (Marner, Matthews) and Timothy Liljegren (17th overall in 2017), President Brendan Shanahan promoted Dubas to GM of the Leafs in 2018, leading to the departures of both Hunter and Lou Lamoriello.
To get an idea of just how bad Hunter's run of the draft was for the Leafs, in the 3 drafts that he ran, only 5 of his 27 draft picks have played more than 100 NHL games. While only 2 of Dubas' picks have eclipsed that mark so far (Sandin, Durzi), he appears to have plucked a number of gems beyond the 1st round, who project to have solid NHL careers ahead of them. Matthew Knies is a prime example.
As is the case, though, every time a GM is replaced, a team's prospect pool is subject to change. A new general manager may not see the same potential in a prospect that the former GM saw and, as a result, some are moved to address other roster needs. With Brad Treliving appearing to be the front-runner for the GM job in Toronto, it could mean that the prospect pool in Toronto could see a few subtractions as he'll look to put his stamp on the team. Here are a few names that we could see on the chopping block now that Dubas is gone:
1. Nick Robertson - LW
The oft-injured winger undoubtedly has the tools and the shot to be successful at the NHL level. Unfortunately, his frequent trips to the IR are not doing him any favours and may be seriously hindering his development. Robertson still has value, especially with his elder brother popping off in Dallas. Unfortunately, his value on the trade market likely exceeds his value to the Leafs' lineup at the moment just based on his name alone. There will be someone out there who will want to take a shot on Robertson having some of the same magic that his brother Jason has. Now, with Dubas gone, the next GM might explore moving him.
2. Topi Niemela - RHD
Niemela was the Leafs' 3rd round pick back in a loaded 2020 draft class in which the Leafs plucked 12 players. With the unfortunate situation involving Rodion Amirov's health as he continues to battle a brain tumor, Niemela is likely the Leafs' top prospect from that draft. With quality right-shot defenders being tough to find, Niemela will certainly hold trade value - especially after being named "Defenseman of the Tournament" at the 2021 World Juniors. Niemela has yet to play any NHL games, but does have a combined 13 games of experience in the AHL between the regular season and the playoffs. I'd imagine that if the Leafs are looking to make moves to shore up the blueline, Niemela's name will be thrown around by whomever the new GM turns out to be.
3. Artur Akhtyamov - G
With the Leafs having an abundance of goaltenders in the pipeline, including Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby and Vyacheslav Peksa, who are all currently under contract with the Leafs, the new GM may look at the position as one of strength, which he can use to deal from. For Artur Akhtyamov, he is not yet under contract with the Leafs despite having a VERY strong 2022-23 campaign. Akhtyamov posted a .943 SV% and a 1.74 GAA across 39 games this season in the VHL (the Russian equivalent of the AHL). He also posted a .952 SV% and a 1.53 GAA in 6 playoff games. With just 4 games of KHL action under his belt, Akhtyamov still has a lot to prove, but with the Leafs having a pretty loaded stable of goalies, it might make sense to the new GM to move one.
There are a number of other prospects in the system who could draw interest from rival teams and with Treliving or whomever the new GM will be having no pre-existing connections to any of the Leafs' prospects, it's really anyone's guess how many might move over the next year or two.
| POLL | ||
25 MAI | 223 ANSWERS A trio of Leafs prospects who are no longer safe now that Kyle Dubas is gone Do you think the new GM in Toronto will trade Nick Robertson? | ||
| Yes | 144 | 64.6 % |
| No | 79 | 35.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
