TORONTO (Jan. 25) — Nothing in professional sport is more amusing than hindsight. And, hindsight may never be quite so amusing as in the blog you have started right here; right now. Or, nearly as bizarre. Were the Toronto Maple Leafs to have been flawless with their first selection since the advent of the National Hockey League universal draft in 1970… well, there’d be no–such elephant as a 57–year Stanley Cup drought. To say the least.

Yes, this is a fun exercise, even if factual. So, please, no nasty emails.

Here is what would have been if the Leafs had always made the perfect selection with their first pick.

Hang onto your hats.

Players the Leafs chose in BLUE / Players the Leafs missed in YELLOW

THE EARLY YEARS: Now and forever, Toronto’s first pick in the universal draft was bang on. General manager Jim Gregory chose London junior Darryl Sittler No. 8 overall in 1970. Sittler went on to captain the Leafs; set an all–time record for points in one game (10) and become the franchise scoring leader (916 points) until eclipsed by Mats Sundin on Oct. 11, 2007. Looking at others still available when Gregory took Sittler, only Cornwall junior Billy Smith can provide an argument. Smith went 59th to Los Angeles; appeared in five games with the Kings and was chosen by the New York Islanders in the 1972 expansion draft. He backstopped the club to four consecutive Stanley Cup titles (1980–83); the Islanders becoming, after Philadelphia, the second expansion team to prevail.

In 1971, the Leafs (as would later become habitual) did not have a first–round selection; it was traded to Philadelphia in the deal that brought goalie Bernie Parent to Toronto. Drafting 22nd, the Leafs chose Hamilton junior Rick Kehoe. The next year was kind of a wash. With the 11th pick in 1972, Gregory took Toronto Marlboros center George Ferguson, who never scored much (career–best 19 goals in 1974–75) but proved valuable in a penalt killing role over six seasons. Several better choices were available: Bob Nystrom (four Stanley Cups and 235 goals with the New York Islanders) and Al MacAdam (93 points with Minnesota in 1979–80) among them.

The 1973 draft was a windfall for Gregory, as the Leafs had three picks in the opening round. Lanny McDonald (Medicine Hat WHL) came aboard fourth followed by Bob Neely (Peterborough OHL) and Ian Turnbull (Ottawa OHL). McDonald and Turnbull starred for the Leafs. Instead of Neely (39 career goals), Gregory could have taken forward Rick Middleton (Oshawa OHL), who had seasons of 105, 103 and 96 points for Boston.

DARRYL SITTLER, CHOSEN NO. 8 IN 1970, MAY STILL BE THE LEAFS BEST DRAFT PICK.

The real “fun” for the Maple Leafs began in 1974 when the club took forward Jack Valiquette (Sault Ste. Marie OHL) 13th overall — a fitting, star–crossed number given that Bryan Trottier (Swift Current WHL) and Mark Howe (Toronto OHL) were among those still available. Both are Hall of Famers. Trottier ranks 19th in all–time NHL points (1,425). He won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders and two with Pittsburgh. Howe, the son of the late, great Mr. Hockey, compiled 742 career points as a smart, mobile defenseman with Hartford, Philadelphia and Detroit. Valiquette scored 33 goals for Toronto over three seasons. Let’s look at the ensuing years, chronologically.

1975: Regarded, by many, among the shallow first rounds of the universal draft. The Leafs took forward Don Ashby (Calgary WHL) sixth overall and soon began to regret it. Still available, and from their own backyard, was Toronto native Dennis Maruk (London OHL) who went to the California Golden Seals 15 selections after Ashby. Maruk scored 356 NHL goals (with California, Cleveland, Washington and Minnesota), merely 316 more than Ashby, who died in Kelowna, B.C. on May 30, 1981 after a head–on collision with another road vehicle. Maruk had seasons of 60, 50 and 36 goals in the NHL. Ashby’s best was 19 goals (1976–77). 1976: With no first–round pick (traded to Montreal in June 1975 for goalie Wayne Thomas), the Leafs drafted 30th and took defenseman Randy Carlyle from Sudbury of the OHL. Had they retained Carlyle beyond June 1978, the pick wouldn’t look so bad. With Pittsburgh, in 1980–81, Carlyle rang up 83 points and won the Norris Trophy. Still available to Toronto was Swedish forward Kent Nilsson (264 NHL goals with Atlanta/Calgary, Edmonton and Minnesota, including seasons of 49 and 46). After the smoke cleared, the Leafs were left with veteran blue–liner Dave Burrows; well past his prime when acquired from the Penguins for Carlyle. 1977: With consecutive first–round picks (11th and 12th), the Leafs stayed at home and chose Marlboro juniors John Anderson and Trevor Johansen. Available three picks afterward was some guy named Mike Bossy (Laval QMJHL), who scored 573 goals in just 10 seasons with the New York Islanders and lifted the Stanley Cup four times. Anderson had some good years with the Leafs (37, 32, 31 and 31 goals). But, just imagine: Toronto, rather than the Islanders, could have had Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy.

1978: Another first–round pick had been swapped to Detroit (for veteran winger Dan Maloney) and the Leafs selected Joel Quenneville (Windsor OHL) 31st overall. Quenneville today stands second in career NHL coaching wins to Scotty Bowman; 47 years ago, he was an average, second or third–pairing defenseman. Among those still available was forward Tony McKegney (32nd to Buffalo). One of the few black skaters in the NHL, McKegney scored 320 career goals. Included were seasons of 40, 37 and 36. 1979: Ouch for the Leafs… multiple times over. With the No. 9 selection, recycled GM Punch Imlach chose center Laurie Boschman (Brandon WHL), a decent NHLer with 229 career goals. There was, however, the small matter of three overlooked juniors: Michel Goulet (20th to Quebec), Mark Messier (48th to Edmonton) and Glenn Anderson (69th to Edmonton). Nothing more need be said. 1980: A washout, as the Leafs took defenseman Craig Muni (Kingston OHL) 25th. Muni played a grand total of 14 games with the Blue and White. A slightly better pick may have been Finnish–born winger Jari Kurri, who went 69th to Edmonton and pored in 601 NHL goals, mostly alongside Wayne Gretzky. Muni had 28 goals in 819 NHL games. 1981: Another disaster. With the sixth pick, the Leafs chose defenseman Jim Benning (Portland WHL). Benning was a gifted passer. He just couldn’t skate. Perhaps the club would have fared better with blue–liner Al MacInnis (Kitchener OHL), who compiled 1,274 career points (third, all–time, among defensemen, behind Raymond Bourque and Paul Coffey). 1982: The Leafs figured to have an elite defenseman by choosing mammoth Gary Nylund (Portland WHL) third. But, Nylund tore up his knee and never came close to expectation. Scott Stevens (Kitchener OHL ) may have worked out a tad better. He was hockey’s most–menacing blue–liner while helping the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cups (1995–2000–03). Coincidentally, future Leafs Dave Andreychuk (16th to Buffalo) and Doug Gilmour (134th to St. Louis) were also available.

1983: Picking seventh, the Leafs did reasonably well with talented center Russ Courtnall (Victoria WHL), though Cam Neely (Portland WHL) was still available and went to Vancouver two picks later (395 career goals). With the 20/20 hindsight of this blog, however, the Leafs should have grabbed the 207th selection: Czech goalie Dominik Hasek, a virtual unknown at the time. Hasek went to Chicago, which dealt him to Buffalo (Aug. 7, 1992) in one of the NHL’s all–time worse trades. In the late–90’s, Hasek was the best hockey player on the planet… at any position. He won consecutive Hart Trophies (1997, 1998) and the Vezina Trophy six times between 1994 and 2001. 1984: Imagine a goaltending tandem of Hasek and Patrick Roy. Or, Brett Hull skating alongside Trottier. Yup, both were available to the Leafs in the ’84 NHL draft. Selecting fourth, Toronto chose defenseman Al Iafrate (Belleville OHL), a gifted skater whose development stalled early in his career then, like so many, accelerated once he left Toronto. But, Roy!! — dangling 51st in the third round and finally nabbed by Montreal; today mentioned among the top half–dozen goalies in NHL history. Hull went a ridiculous 117th to Calgary. A “consolation” pick (sigh) could have been Luc Robitaille, chosen 171st by Los Angeles and, today, sitting 13th all time in goals (668). 1985: You’d have to search far and wide for a Leafs fan disappointed that Wendel Clark (Saskatoon WHL) was chosen first overall by the club. With a statue on Legends Row, Wendel is among the most–popular Leaf players of all time. Still, it’s fair to ask whether Joe Nieuwendyk (selected 27th by Calgary) would have been a better pick (564 career goals). 1986: Another near–miss, but a big one. Not that Vincent Damphousse (sixth from Laval QMJHL) didn’t have a good career in the NHL (432 goals, 1,205 points). But, the guy taken by New York three picks later would have looked better in Toronto… and would not have been traded by the Leafs after four seasons. Brian Leetch (Avon Old Farms H.S.) went ninth to the Rangers and became one of top ten defensemen in the NHL’s expansion era, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Rangers busted their 54–year Stanley Cup drought in 1994.

1987: “Oy Vey!!” God bless Luke Richardson, a fine chap and a dependable, stay–at–home defenseman chosen seventh by the Leafs. But, Toronto missed, by eight picks, one of the best all–around forwards in modern NHL history. Joe Sakic (Swift Current WHL) went 15th to Quebec. Richardson actually played 39 more NHL games than Sakic but trailed him, at the end, by a measly 1,449 regular–season points. 1988: “Oy Vey!!,” Part 2. With the No. 6 selection, the Leafs chose forward Scott Pearson (Niagara Falls OHL) rather than a Finnish–born winger named Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg, 10th). Pearson scored five goals in 53 games with Toronto — 71 fewer than Selanne rang up as a rookie with the Jets in 1992–93. 1989: The biggest “Oy Vey!!” This was the year the Leafs (with picks 3, 12 and 21) went all–Belleville (OHL), choosing Scott Thornton, Rob Pearson and Steve Bancroft (396 combined NHL points). They might have done slightly better with Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit 53rd), Sergei Fedorov (Detroit 74th) and Pavel Bure (Vancouver 113th), who combined for 3,100 points. 1990: Oh… my… God! With the No. 10 selection at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, the Leafs took defenseman Drake Berehowsky (Kingston OHL). Eight picks later, some fella named Martin Brodeur (St. Hyacinthe) went to New Jersey. Honestly, folks… the Leafs could have drafted any of Grant Fuhr, Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy and Brodeur. They took none. 1991: A first–round pick, notoriously traded to New Jersey for defenseman Tom Kurvers, turned into No. 3 overall and the Devils took… Scott Niedermayer (once again: “Oy Vey!!”). The Leafs, selecting 47th, chose forward Yanic Perreault (Trois–Rivieres QMJHL). Stanley Cup–winning goalie Chris Osgood (Medicine Hat WHL) was still around and went 54th to Detroit. 1992: A total waste. With the No. 8 pick, the Maple Leafs chose forward Brandon Convery (Sudbury OHL), who contributed 17 points in 50 games. Much better would have been Michael Peca (Ottawa OHL), a defensive stalwart up front who went 40th overall to the Vancouver Canucks.

NICKLAS LIDSTROM IS THE BEST EUROPEAN DEFENSEMAN IN NHL HISTORY. IGNORING HIM IN 1989, THE LEAFS DRAFTED NONDESCRIPTS SCOTT THORNTON, ROB PEARSON AND STEVE BANCROFT.

1993: On a stifling–hot afternoon in the Quebec Colisee, the Leafs again got burned, though not as severely as in previous years. With the 12th selection, Toronto chose Swedish defenseman Kenny Jonsson. Among those still available was Finnish center Saku Koivu, who went 21st to Montreal; conquered a deadly stomach cancer, and registered 832 career points. Jonsson played only two seasons for the Leafs. He had a career–best 40 points with the Islanders in 1997–98. 1994: Overshadowed by the acquisition of Mats Sundin from Quebec minutes before the draft at the Hartford Civic Center, the Leafs, again, made a fruitless pick. Selecting 16th, they took goalie Eric Fichaud (Chicoutimi QMJHL), who never suited up in blue and white. Late in the second round (51st overall), New Jersey drafted Czech center Patrick Elias (Kladno), who played 1,240 more games for the Devils than did Fichaud for the Leafs. 1995: Another bomb at the draft in Edmonton and overshadowed, again, by the trade (with Pittsburgh) for future Hall–of–Fame defenseman Larry Murphy. With the 15th pick, the Maple Leafs chose defenseman Jeff Ware (Oshawa OHL), whose glorious NHL career spanned 21 games. Forward Petr Sykora (Detroit Jr. Red Wings) was taken three picks later by New Jersey and scored 323 NHL goals. 1996: Oh, was it hot in St. Louis. The Leafs chose Czech forward Marek Posmyk 36th overall. Posmyk never played a game in Toronto. Still up for grabs was mammoth Czech Zdeno Chara (56th, Islanders), the most–dominant defense figure in the NHL between 2006 and 2012 (captaining the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup). 1997: Another first–rounder gone (in the trade with the Islanders that brought Wendel Clark back to Toronto), the Leafs chose 57th and took forward Jeff Farkas (Boston College), who appeared in nine games for the Blue and White. Though missing again, the Leafs did not overlook an all–timer. Russian forward Maxim Afinogenov (Buffalo 69th) was probably the best of the rest. 1998: Choosing 10th, the Maple Leafs took a lanky forward from Russia, Nikolai Antropov. Though never attaining the heights Toronto expected of him, he did appear in 509 games with the club (1999–2009), accruing 291 points. Among the better choices would have been Russian forward Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit 171st), who had a pair of 97–point seasons with the Red Wings and played an integral role in the Stanley Cup triumphs of 2002 and 2008.

1999: The expansion Atlanta Thrashers destroyed this draft by choosing Czech forward Patrik Stefan (best NHL season: 40 points) first overall, allowing Vancouver GM Brian Burke to trade up and bag the Sedin twins (Daniel and Henrik) second and third. The Leafs whiffed as well, selecting Swiss forward Luca Cereda, 24th (a heart condition sadly derailed Cereda’s big–league hopes; he never played a game in the NHL). Again, Detroit (and super–scout Hakan Andersson) embarrassed Toronto and all other teams by unearthing Swedish winger Henrik Zetterberg 210th overall. Zetterberg was instrumental in the 2008 Stanley Cup victory under Mike Babcock, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy with 27 points. 2000: Selecting 24th in Calgary, the Leafs took clever forward Brad Boyes (Erie OHL), who did not suit up with the club before a trade to San Jose (for veteran Owen Nolan) in March 2003. Boyes later had seasons of 43 and 33 goals with St. Louis. Still available, and drafted way down (205th overall) by the Rangers, was future Hall–of–Fame goalie Henrik Lundqvist of Sweden. 2001: The Leafs, picking 17th, took another Erie Otters grad: defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, whose career was side–swiped, early on, by a rash of freak injuries. Among those still available was Richmond Hill, Ont. native Michael Cammalleri (University of Michigan), who went 49th to Los Angeles and amassed 642 NHL points. 2002: The first NHL draft held in Toronto since 1985 took place at the Air Canada Centre. And, the Leafs, selecting 24th, chose Swedish forward Alex Steen, the son of former Winnipeg Jets star Thomas Steen. Of course, Toronto could have nabbed Michigan State defenseman Duncan Keith, who went 54th to Chicago and led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups (2010–13–15). Keith won the Norris Trophy in 2010 and 2014. 2003: Their first–round pick dealt to San Jose in the Owen Nolan deal, the Leafs selected 57th and took someone named John Doherty (Phillips Andover H.S.). Doherty, like Fichaud, Posmyk and Cereda, never played a game for Toronto. The Leafs would have been slightly better off with winger/defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (Prince George WHL), who went 245th to Chicago. 2004: Another first–rounder gone, in exchange (at the 2004 trade deadline) for veteran defenseman Brian Leetch of the Rangers. Selecting 90th, the Leafs took goalie Justin Pogge (Prince George WHL), who appeared in seven games with Toronto. A little–known Finnish stopper was still available at the time. Pekka Rinne went 258th to Nashville and later backstopped the Predators to the 2017 Western Conference title (losing the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh).

2005: In the post–lockout draft, the Leafs (choosing 21st) made an excellent pick: Swedish goalie Tuukka Rask, who should have been the club’s No. 1 man between the pipes for a decade. Instead, Rask was dealt to Boston at the 2009 draft in Vancouver for one–year wonder Andrew Raycroft. The Leafs could have drafted center Paul Stastny (University of Denver), who went 44th to Colorado. The son of Hall–of–Fame forward Peter Stastny accumulated 822 NHL points. 2006: Another waste. Picking 13th, the Leafs chose smallish center Jiri Tlusty (Kladno, Czech Republic), who scored 10 goals in 74 games with Toronto. Right–winger Claude Giroux (Gatineau QMJHL) was still available and went 22nd to Philadelphia. He has 1,097 points (mostly with the Flyers) and is now playing for Ottawa in his 18th NHL season. 2007: With Raycroft having gone pfffft, the Leafs gave up yet another first–round pick (to San Jose) for goalie Vesa Toskala. The club did not choose until 74th and selected Oshawa (OHL) forward Dale Mitchell (no games played in the NHL). Jamie Benn (Victoria WHL) would have been a slightly better option. He went to Dallas, 129th overall, and has 937 points in 16 NHL seasons, all with the Stars. 2008: At the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, the Leafs traded up (from eighth to fifth) and selected defenseman Luke Schenn (Kelowna WHL), overlooking another rearguard, Erik Karlsson from Sweden, who went 15th to the hometown Senators. Karlsson won the Norris Trophy in 2012–15–23 and became, two seasons back, the first defenseman in more than three decades to register 100 points. 2009: At the Bell Centre in Montreal, the Leafs took Nazem Kadri (London OHL) seventh overall. Despite consecutive 32–goal seasons, the club gave up on Kadri and dealt him to Colorado. He continues to be a force with Calgary in his 15th season. As it turned out, a better pick would have been defenseman Mattias Ekholm (Mora IK, Sweden), who went late to Nashville (122nd) and is now performing solidly with Edmonton in his 14th NHL season. 2010: Their first–round pick dealt to Boston for Phil Kessel (the Bruins took Tyler Seguin second overall), the Leafs drafted left–winger Brad Ross (Portland WHL) 43rd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ross has never played in the NHL. Center Tyler Toffoli (Ottawa OHL) was still around and went 47th to L.A. He has 277 NHL goals, 17 this season for San Jose. 2011: Selecting 25th at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, the Leafs took defenseman Stuart Percy (Mississauga–St. Michael’s), who made the team out of camp in 2014 but quickly fizzled. Nikita Kucherov (CSKA2 Moscow) went 58th to Tampa Bay and put up a mere 144 points two seasons ago (70 so far this year). Stuart Percy over Nikita Kucherov. Double–oy!

2012: Selecting fifth, the Leafs took Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw WHL). He’s been the club’s top defenseman in the past decade but has regressed this season. The revolving door of goalies would have stopped had the Leafs chosen Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay 19th) instead of Rielly. 2013: Drafting 21st at the Prudential Center in Newark, the Leafs took the “Goat”, Frederik Gauthier (Rimouski QMJHL), who labored through parts of five seasons in Toronto and accrued 31 points. Center Jake Guentzel (Nebraska–Omaha) was still available and went 77th to Pittsburgh. A clutch playoff performer, Guentzel has 251 NHL goals, 24 so far this season with Tampa Bay.

THE CORE–4 YEARS: The drafts of 2014, 2015 and 2016 yielded the Leafs William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. Nylander ranks among the good shooters in modern club history, leading the team, this season, with 28 goals. Still, hindsight can argue the Leafs might have chosen Czech native David Pastrnak (25th to Boston). That way, someone else would have blown past Rielly and Marner to eliminate the team in overtime last spring. Pastrnak leads Nylander 371–245 in career NHL goals. Also available was Brayden Point (79th to Tampa Bay). A marvelous playoff performer, Point has 603 NHL points to Nylander’s 578. Marner went fourth to the Leafs in 2015 and will easily overtake Sundin as franchise scoring leader… provided, of course, he doesn’t leave this summer as an unrestricted free agent. Mitch has 706 points in 625 NHL games. So, how to argue? Zach Werenski (8th to Columbus); Mikko Rantanen (10th to Colorado; 681 points) and Sebastien Aho (35th to Carolina; 606 NHL points) would also have been good picks. Matthews was top pick of the 2016 draft and is the most–prolific shooter in franchise history (388 goals in 596 games). Even if Matthew Tkachuk (6th to Calgary) has achieved much more in the playoffs and Adam Fox (66th to Calgary) is a perennial Norris Trophy threat with the Rangers. Right?

WILLIAM NYLANDER OR DAVID PASTRNAK? DID TORONTO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE IN 2014?

ANOTHER NOTABLE OMMISION: The Leafs chose defenseman Tim Liljegren with the 17th pick of the 2017 draft. Ahead of the Jason Robertson, who went 39th and has put up seasons of 46 and 41 goals with the Stars.

To summarize, entirely with hindsight, here are players the Leafs have passed on in the NHL draft since 1970:

Bob Nystrom, Bryan Trottier, Dennis Maruk, Kent Nilsson, Mike Bossy, Tony McKegney, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, Joe Nieuwendyk, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch, Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne, Nicklas Lidstrom, Martin Brodeur, Chris Osgood, Michael Peca, Saku Koivu, Patrick Elias, Petr Sykora, Zdeno Chara, Maxim Afinogenov, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Lundqvist, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Pekka Rinne, Paul Stastny, Claude Giroux, Jamie Benn, Erik Karlsson, Mattias Ekholm, Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, David Pastrnak and Jason Robertson.

One more time… “OY VEYYY!!”