Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Draft picks 2023: Order and more explained

Modified Jun 28, 2023 13:57 GMT

Florida Panthers v Toronto Maple Leafs - Game Five — When do the Toronto Maple Leafs pick in the 2023 NHL Draft?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in win-now mode and with that, they don't have many selections at the 2023 NHL draft.

The Maple Leafs head to Nashville with just three picks in the entire draft but do have one selection in the first round. Outside of that, they have a fifth and sixth-round pick, but after acquiring a lot of players at the deadline to try and win the Stanley Cup, Toronto is without many picks.

Although the Leafs only have three picks, they still like where they are in the draft and believe they can add a decent player with the 28th overall pick.

“Best player available,” Maple Leafs' scouting director Wes Clark said. “Intelligence, competitiveness, those would be the two main priorities, for sure. We’re looking for players that influence winning hockey. Awareness, ability to process, guys who understand that there are other things that influence winning.”

Although the Maple Leafs are fine selecting at 28th overall, Toronto also hints at moving out of the first round to acquire an NHL player or more picks in the later rounds.

“Trading down (to get more picks) when you are pretty bare seems like the most sensible move at the time,” Clark said of the Leafs’ first-rounder. “We will see how it shakes out.”

“At some point, you have to put some groceries back in the cupboards. I think there is a fairly good bet we are picking at 28," GM Brad Treliving said.

The Maple Leafs acquired the 28th overall pick - which is Boston's - from the Washington Capitals in the trade that sent Rasmus Sandin to the Capitals.

Toronto's original first-round pick was traded to the St. Louis Blues in the trade that sent Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari to the Leafs. Their second-round pick was traded during the 2021-22 NHL season in a deal that brought Mark Giordano and Colin Backwell to the Leafs.

Outside of those trades, their third-round pick was dealt to the Canucks this year for Luke Schenn, and their fourth was traded for a fourth-rounder last year which they used to select Dennis Hildeby. Toronto's seventh-rounder was traded alongside Filip Hallander to the Penguins for Jared McCann who ended up being selected in the expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken.