Young stud NHL goaltender reveals that he should have been a Leaf and shares why he's not
The Toronto Maple Leafs have long been searching for a solution in goal. While they thought for a short time that they had it in Frederik Andersen and then last season they thought that had it in Jack Campbell. Now, the hope is that it's going to be Matt Murray and/or Ilya Samsonov. Well, as it turns out, the Leafs had an opportunity to draft a stellar young goaltender in 2017 and passed on him.
During an appearance on John Scott's Dropping The Gloves podcast, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman shared a story from his draft year, stating that the Leafs were reportedly very high on him and had had numerous discussions with the now 23-year-old.
As Swayman's story goes, he had met with the Leafs several teams and when he was still available in the 4th round, he had been preparing himself to hear the Leafs call his name. However, then General Manager, Mark Hunter, pivoted away from Swayman, instead selecting Prince Albert Raiders goaltender Ian Scott with the 110th pick of the draft. Swayman went to Boston at pick number 111.
It's absolutely baffling to me that there are still people out there who believe that Mark Hunter was the better choice as the heir to Lou Lamoriello's throne in Toronto. Granted, Ian Scott looked like a real prospect for a couple of years, but even if he hadn't retired earlier this year, he would still be several years away from being NHL-ready. Meanwhile, Swayman is playing meaningful games for the Bruins and is likely to become a number 1 NHL goalie sooner than later.
