Back then, we just didn’t know it. The Toronto Maple Leafs, run by Brian Burke, were built around Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, the infamous 2013 game against the Bruins hadn’t happened yet.
We were optimistic with dreams of Tyler Bozak as a first liner.
The Leafs hadn’t drafted high in a while. Their last two picks had gone to the Bruins who used them to draft Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton, two guys well on their way to the Hall of Fame.
Phil Kessel will always be one of the best Toronto Maple Leafs of all-time, but it’s hard to look back on the Leafs of that era with any fondness.