Leading up to this year’s draft, it is our goal to recap every single 1st Round pick the Toronto Maple Leafs have made between taking Wendel Clark #1 in 1985 and Auston Matthews in 2016.
When last we left off, the Toronto Maple Leafs had just finished the 1980s on a low. Starting with Wendel Clark and finishing with three forgettable, infuriating picks, the mid-1980s saw the Leafs seemingly blow opportunity after opportunity to get better.
Clark was nice at #1, but it hurt knowing that a year earlier Mario Lemieux had been available. After that, it didn’t matter who the Leafs picked, it was the wrong guy.