Even smart franchises need a lot of luck.
The Maple Leafs have overhauled their entire organization over the past two years, and the much-publicized rebuild scored a huge victory Saturday night. Toronto won the 2016 NHL Draft lottery, and now owns the No. 1 pick.
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Auston Matthews, who grew up in Arizona, is the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick. He spent the 2015-16 season playing in Switzerland for former NHL coach Marc Crawford and should step into the Maple Leafs’ lineup in October.