Once upon a time, I hated the Leafs. Back before my media days when I saw hockey solely through the eyes of a fan, my dislike of the team from Toronto was unrivaled.
But that was a long time ago. Now there really aren't teams that I like or dislike, it's the people who play or work for them that are the deciding factors for me. As a media guy covering junior and college hockey, there are quite a few players within the organization that I knew and liked before they became property of the Leafs and it didn't change when that happened.
Then there is Brian Burke who is a polarizing figure to be sure. Personally, as a media guy, I could listen to him all day long. He's been on TPS and a planned 10-minute interview turned into 16 minutes simply because we couldn't stop - it was pure audio gold.
So no, I no longer hate the Leafs. In fact, I actually would love to see them back in the playoffs (gasp!).
As for the prospects Toronto has coming up, there are quite a few I like. Edmontonians Matt Frattin and Ben Scrivens are two of them. The ups and downs of Frattin's college career are well documented but how can you not pull for a guy in his shoes? Scrivens was always of interest me as he compiled stellar numbers year after year at Cornell. Then he joined us in studio for an hour last summer and blew me away.
Brad Ross is the perfect prospect for the Leafs; he'll be loved by Bud fans and hated by everyone else in the league just like the organization itself.
The hype machine is already in full gear for Morgan Rielly, a player I really like myself, and now the question is whether he gets a look at the NHL level this year or not. If he eventually lands back in the WHL with Moose Jaw, he instantly becomes a huge trading chip for the Warriors not unlike Brayden Schenn a couple of years ago.
So who did I settle on? It's not really a surprise to anyone who has read this blog over the last number of years. Every year we ask a handful of draft eligible players to blog with us and the first player who stepped up is the guy I'm going with.
