One Clear Draft Trend Emerging for the Maple Leafs Under Brad Treliving

There was a lot of talk this offseason about what changes the Maple Leafs are going to make, considering they are so anxious to change the DNA of their team and bring in a new vision to the lineup and coaching staff.

Craig Berube was brought in, there have been more gritty and hard-nosed players, and the shift towards defense and hard work over finesse has been very successful but still needs some other pieces to truly dominate.

But for their draft picks over the last few years (the ones they didn't hastily trade away) it seems like there's one common factor bringing them all together and it's a pretty sizeable one (pun absolutely intended).

Since coming on board, the team has clearly focused on adding a ton of big-bodied players to the lineup, and having 10 of their last 15 picks have been 6'2 or bigger sends a clear message to fans and the league: We're getting bigger, we're getting tougher, and we're going to bring chaos.

Ben Danford, Noah Chadwick, Sam McCue and Matt Lahey are all between 6'2-6'5, and Easton Cowan is one of the shortest but is still 6'0 tall. This year's draft saw nobody under 6'1 drafted by Toronto, and every player they selected this year has a tenacious attitude and willingness to get nasty if the situation calls for it.

Clearly, there's been a shift to a more old-school mentality and with Florida's recent success using a more gritty and traditional system, there's a precedent to do the same thing.

Plus the Maple Leafs have really had try and maximize their potential picks considering they haven't really had a premium draft choice in years (selecting Auston Matthews) and often trade away their first-rounders for win-now talent; a move that hasn't worked out well.

So by focusing in on only one particular group of players, one with size, grit, heart and the passion, it allows Mark Leach and Brad Treliving to find their hopeful diamonds in the rough, and while there's a bit of frustration from fans that they don't have that elite prospect.

A bit of patience will pay off, and we might see the fruits of their labor much sooner than we anticipated.