If the Toronto Maple Leafs end up trading down, Mathew Barzal could very well be a target for Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas.
Barzal is listed as 6’0″, 177lbs, and plays a strong offensive game combined with a responsible defensive game – but, more importantly, he’s a center. He’s a great skater and a tremendous playmaker.
He had 12 goals and 45 assists for 57 points in only 44 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League this past season. Some, including TSN’s Bob McKenzie, think that had Barzal remained healthy all season he would have challenged Dylan Strome and Mitchell Marner in the second wave of talent after Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.