Toronto Maple Leafs: 4 players to consider with first round pick

3. Anton Lundell

If Lundell falls to the Leafs at 15th, this should be a player Dubas runs to the podium to pick.

He is a strong two-way centre playing in SM-Liiga that can use his wrister to produce which he has shown during his time with HIFK. He had 10 goals and 28 points in 44 games last season and already has a goal in two games this season. He might benefit to having the Finnish league back ahead of the draft for any teams needing another look at him before the draft.

Some project him to be a Selke type player which many would say is a need on the Leafs considering their struggles to defend.

"“For me, I knew we could trust him [to make] all the smart decisions,” Jussi Ahokas told Spotsnet’s Sonny Sachdeva. “It was the reliability of that decision-making that raised Lundell’s stock in the eyes of the coaching staff. “I would say his style is really high-end two-way centre. And that’s the thing — he doesn’t do flashy moves. He doesn’t catch your eye, but when you really look at him and how he plays, then you start seeing how good he actually is,” the coach continues. “His decisions that he makes, they affect positive things on the ice — it doesn’t have to be flashy. “So, as a coach, you like him more than [if] you might have a really skilled guy who’s a flashy player, but doesn’t really give anything to the team. So that’s where I see why he’s so good.”"

If there is something the Leafs need, it’s a player who is geared towards being a solid player rather than focus solely on making the flashy play. Players like Patrice Bergeron, Sean Couturier, Anthony Cirelli and Ryan O’Reilly have become coveted for this reason.

It’s too early to say whether Lundell can be that player but the Leafs would be smart to take him if he is available.