Toronto Maple Leafs: Highs and Lows of the Prospect Cycle

The Toronto Maple Leafs will see a number of their young enticing prospects make permanent leaps to the NHL next season.

For any team, this is great news. A testament to the talent evaluation and scouting acumen of their staff. As the Cap-Era continues to apply the process of roster construction with financial pressure, skilled prospects on ELC’s have become valuable commodities in fostering depth.

Show me a loaded farm system and, chances are, I’ll show you a Cup contender soon after.

Only, there’s a catch. Reaching contention requires a pillaging of the farm system, leaving a far weaker crop in its wake. Like the sport itself, this is a cycle:

Draft well, accumulate prospects, develop said…