Maple Leafs trade 23rd overall pick to Ducks for 31st, 58th selections in 2024 NHL Draft

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded its 2024 first-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the No. 31 and No. 58 picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Chris Johnston of The Athletic was first to report.

Toronto was originally slated to use the No. 23 pick. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving previously told reporters Wednesday that it was ‘more than likely’ the team would elect to use its first-round selection. Perhaps Treliving knew all along that their man would be available later in the draft as Toronto selected Ben Danford, a defensive-minded defenceman from the Oshawa Generals with the No. 31 pick.

Anaheim selected Stian Solberg with the No. 23 pick, a crushing, physical defenceman from Valerenga Ishockey from Norway.

“I think in most recent drafts… listen, everyone probably has a different list,” Treliving said Wednesday. “I’d say in the last number of years, you may have a different order in the top-five, top-ten. But 32 teams probably have eight of the guys there. I think it could probably be all over the place right now. Some really good players. I think when you have a situation like that, it lends itself to have some fallers, as we call. There may be someone you have higher than somebody else does.”

“I think there’s going to be players available — now, we’re at No. 23, whether it gets down to that— there are players on some people’s list who will be taken at No. 10 or 15. We’re comfortable with the group of players we’ve got there right now. We’ll see. As it is with every draft, until the names start coming off the board, I’m pretty confident I know who’s going No. 1. After that, it will be interesting to see how the board folds.”

Last season, the Maple Leafs selected Easton Cowan with the No. 28 overall pick, which was considered as a consensus reach at the time. Cowan smashed all expectations, winning OHL MVP and OHL playoff MVP honours while leading the London Knights to an OHL title and a Memorial Cup final appearance. Cowan will likely fight for a roster spot this fall.

Treliving was barred from the floor at the 2023 event until the Calgary Flames — his former club — made their first-round pick at the No. 16 spot.

In retrospect, we should’ve been able to anticipate that the Maple Leafs loved the depth of this year’s class. Stockpiling two key assets in a deep draft seems like clever work from Treliving and his staff.