The Toronto Maple Leafs have won the NHL Draft Lottery.
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Fans who do not have playoff hockey to concentrate on have been putting the Draft Lottery Simulator through its paces since the end of the regular season.
On Saturday, the National Hockey League will run it for real with the Toronto Maple Leafs having a 20% chance of nabbing the top overall selection, the fringe benefit of finishing at the bottom of the NHL standings.
Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest, as I will be at the NHL Draft Lottery in Toronto providing updates. Follow @mikeinbuffalo
The question before Leafs management headed by Team President Brendan Shanahan and GM Lou Lamoriello is what will their draft slot determine in terms of other roster decisions going forward.
Scenario #1 - Toronto wins the lottery on Saturday and the celebration throughout the GTA makes the Raptors Jurassic Park look like a toddler's birthday party.
In spite of recent chatter that Finnish winger Patrik Laine may be as attractive to some as Auston Matthews, it is near certainty that every NHL team including the Leafs will take the 18-year-old center.
Toronto would have a legitimate #1 center for the first time since Mats Sundin, but it will take some time before the Scottsdale, AZ native is ready to handle that responsibility.
With Matthews, Nazem Kadri and William Nylander as the prospective top three centers next season, it is likely that Lamoriello would shop veteran Tyler Bozak to address another area of need.
The Leafs are well positioned to bid on free agent Steven Stamkos on July 1, but the presence of Matthews could potentially diminish their interest in the Markham, ON native unless management believes that he or Nylander will benefit from starting their NHL career on the wing.
The prospect of missing out on Matthews is not as dire as some are saying, especially with the other three forwards showing their potential in recent months.
Scenario #2 - Toronto wins the lottery for the second or third pick and has their choice of Laine or Jesse Puljujarvi.
Both Finnish wingers are big, speedy and skilled and appear to be can't miss NHL prospects who could step into the NHL next season, but if the Leafs follow the same patient development pattern as they did with Nylander (playing most of the year in the AHL), it is possible that Laine and Puljujarvi could play with the Toronto Marlies as 18-year-olds.
The addition of a power forward/scoring winger might put more emphasis on adding Stamkos, since Kadri is more suited to a second/third line role and Nylander may not be physically ready to match up against top echelon centers like Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews.
Scenario #3 - The Leafs do not win any of the lotteries and pick fourth. This will be the queue for conspiracy theories and recriminations of the process, especially if Edmonton or an Atlantic Division rival (Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston) wins.
The favorite to be selected at #4 is London Knights winger Matthew Tkachuk, linemate of 2015 top pick Mitch Marner. Most draft analysis suggests that Tkachuk will be a top six forward in the NHL, but his likely destination for next season is a return to the OHL and another World Junior trip for Team USA.
As with the selection of Laine or Puljujarvi, the Leafs will go about addressing other areas on need via trade and free agency, but with Tkachuk and potentially Marner a year or longer away from playing in the NHL, Lamoriello will attempt to further the transition and give Mike Babcock more talent to work with.
The Leafs head coach appeared frustrated at the end of the season with the makeshift roster. Toronto is expected to add Russian defenseman Nikita Zaitsev as soon as his KHL contract expires and may look to add a goaltender who can challenge or replace Jonathan Bernier and possibly a veteran defenseman to partner with Morgan Rielly.
A little after 8pm tonight, Leafs Nation will have a better idea of the future path of their franchise.
Where do you think the #Leafs will end up picking after the NHL Draft Lottery tonight?
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