Leafs Nation feels as though Nick Robertson has been leapfrogged on the depth chart
After making 18 picks between the 2019 and 2020 drafts, the Leafs had just 3 picks in 2021, but each of those 3 picks have yielded very strong early returns and the organization seems to be thrilled with all 3 picks. Those 3 picks from 2021 came in rounds 2, 5 and 6 and they came in the form of F Matthew Knies, F Ty Voit and G Vyacheslav Peksa.
Just one year prior, in 2020, one of the Leafs' 12 picks was 3rd rounder Topi Niemela, who went on to win a silver medal with Finland at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships and was subsequently named "Defenseman of the Tournament". He then went on to post some of the best numbers in SM-liiga among all defensemen, with 10 goals and 32 points in 44 games with Karpat.
Prior to this summer, the Leafs' prospect depth chart was led by 2019 2nd round pick Nick Robertson. Since Robertson is the closest to being NHL ready, there is still an argument to be made that he is still the team's number one prospect, but The Athletic's Joshua Kloke ran a poll to see where Leafs fans are ranking the team's top prospects. The fan perspective at this point is that Robertson is no longer the Leafs' prospect who is expected to have the largest impact.
Per the results of the poll, the fans believe that Matthew Knies, the USHL standout and Phoenix, AZ product, will be the Leafs' most impactful piece in the long run. 66.1% of the votes went in favour of Knies, followed by 21.2% for Robertson and finally 12.7% for Niemela.
I suppose we shouldn't be overly surprised, as Knies is the newest toy and, given what the 19-year-old showed in his freshman year at the University of Minnesota, he can be a very dominant player. At 6'3, 210 lbs, he's a very imposing figure as well. I do feel as though, were it not for Robertson's injury at the beginning of last season, this vote would have been a hell of a lot closer. I also feel like if Topi Niemela was playing in North America as a member of the Toronto Marlies, there would be a lot more hype behind him as well. Nevertheless, Knies appears to be the new king of the castle when it comes to the prospect pool, at least in the eyes of the fans.
I'll close this one off with a hot take: Nick Robertson and Matthew Knies are both going to be with the Leafs next spring and will both play significant roles for the Buds in the playoffs.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 14 | 392 ANSWERS Leafs Nation feels as though Nick Robertson has been leapfrogged on the depth chart Who do you think the Leafs' top prospect is? | ||
| Knies | 216 | 55.1 % |
| Robertson | 76 | 19.4 % |
| Niemela | 75 | 19.1 % |
| Other | 25 | 6.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
