LONDON, Ont. — In one corner of the Budweiser Gardens ice on Saturday morning, the potential future of the Maple Leafs were standing and joking while waiting their turn for a drill.
Three first-round picks, three players with high-end skill and a threesome the rebuilding organization expects will be cornerstones in the latest, perhaps most ambitious makeover it has ever undertaken.
But if you think any of the players in question — Mitch Marner, Willie Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen — will be in coach Mike Babcock’s opening-night lineup on Oct. 7, it’s more than likely dreaming in blue and white.