BUFFALO, N.Y. - When nine of their 10 picks aren’t even in the building, you know the Maple Leafs are drafting outside the box.
While many NHL teams paraded their prospects through the halls of First Niagara Center, the podium for Toronto interviews was empty Saturday, except for American goaltender Joseph Woll. Instead, Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello and player personnel boss Mark Hunter were making long-distance calls to overage players passed up in earlier drafts or to one of four Russians, scattered from Yaroslavl to Balashikha.
“In this business of scouting, there are different times when people get better,” Hunter said.