Brian S

All the information you need if you want to watch either/both days of the 2024 NHL draft in Vegas this year. It will start at 7 pm EST on Friday, with day two starting at 11:30 am EST.

What even are goalies? I have no idea, but here are ten of them whose names may come up this weekend.

None seemed to be ranked in a range that made sense for the picks Toronto has now, but if the Leafs somehow get a pick or two more in that range...

There are some interesting older defensemen who are re-entering the draft this year, including some that should be familiar to those who read these profiles last year.

There are some other creative trades the Leafs could make going into the draft to both acquire more picks and acquire NHL players to help right now.

There aren't many high level re-entry forwards this year, but there are a few players with pro-compatible skills that could make for interesting depth.

Who can the Leafs turn into prospects?

Toronto tends to draft defensemen in later rounds who I've never even heard of before, but just in case here are some I like who aren't really ranked by anyone.

No, I'm not saying Toronto should do this. But if they want to, what kind of return would they get from other teams in a pure pick trade?

There's quite a few forwards who could still be around late in the draft that I like, and as you can imagine most of them are smaller but have interesting skills.

He will be one of the more interesting defenseman with two-way potential outside of the first round in this year's draft.

A young and relatively unknown Russian defenseman has a solid foundation of skills that have me interested in him as a long term project.

Shaikhlislamov is very young, but has decent size and plays like a hyper-aggressive wrecking ball that could be honed into an interesting power forward.

A last minute change in his commitment from Kitchener in the OHL to Michigan in the NCAA, plus some size concerns, have driven down his draft hype. I still like him, especially if he falls into the middle rounds.

Wiggo has one of the weirdest paths in his draft year for any prospect that I can remember seeing, but that doesn't matter to me because he's just fun.

Potentially one of the better all-around defensemen in this draft, but with enough mechanical and consistency issues that made his draft stock sink in the second half.

He's big, he's heavy, and he plays like it, but with some very interesting potential as a puck mover as well.

Apparently I have Latvians on the brain this weekend. Latvian centers, specifically.

Murnieks' stats don't jump off the page at you, but he plays a quietly effective game that I think is better suited to professional leagues than junior.

A red-hot start to the season, including a few games up in the SHL, was cut off by a season ending knee injury in October but that potential he flashed lives in my heart.

Unlike what the refs may call for penalties, you can never have Too Much Måns.

Bilecki has been buried in the depth chart for a strong Kitchener defensive group, but he's made the most of his time and stepped up when needed.

If there's a player in this year's draft who gives me the same vibes as Koblar did last year, it's his Leksands teammate Adam Andersson.

Cover flashes a lot of high level skill thanks to one of the deeper set of tools in the draft, but some consistency issues could keep him out of the first round.

Preston is a highly skilled winger whose skill can seem like magic, but he's become viewed as a big gamble and his rankings have tumbled as a result.