Toronto Maple Leafs 2024 NHL Draft Choices for Center and Defense

The Toronto Maple Leafs hold the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft.

There is a chance the pick could be traded away, but for this article, I will assume that the Toronto Maple Leafs will keep it.

Selecting a player at 23rd overall could be hit or miss. Most players drafted outside the top ten are gambles made by the team selecting them.

The Leafs took a gamble last year in the 2023 NHL draft by selecting forward Easton Cowan with the 28th overall pick.

He registered 34 goals and 62 assists for 96 points in 54 games for the London Knights this season in the OHL and is trying to help the Knights win the Memorial Cup. Cowan has turned heads and is considered a steal for the Leafs.

After the first round in this year’s draft, the Leafs will not have another pick until the fourth round.

They can move up or acquire additional picks before the draft. However, that is the way it stands right now. So, the best-case scenario for the Leafs would be to hopefully select another player who will be better than his draft position, much like Cowan turned out to be.

The question is, what position do the Leafs need more depth in?

They have plenty of talented wingers and goaltenders in their prospect pool. I think they need to draft either a defenseman or a center, but the reality is that these players are so far from the NHL that by the time they are ready, the Leafs needs will be completely different than they are today.

So while the Leafs would like to have more organizational depth at centre, any general manager will tell you that you should always take the best player available, regardless of position.

Here is a look at possible center and defenseman options for the Leafs to consider during the 2024 NHL draft on June 28th.