The Toronto Maple Leafs have a roster that's built to win now in 2024/25, but they've also built quite the prospect pool, with the likes of Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten expected to push for roles with the team this year. They hope to have added another future star in the 2024 NHL Draft when they landed Ben Danford late in the first-round, but unfortunately, his time in Toronto hasn't started perfectly.
The reception for the pick was less than stellar from Maple Leafs fans, and now he has reportedly suffered an injury at training camp due to a hit that saw him head to the locker room after being assessed for a head injury.
At 18-years of age, Danford is exactly what this Toronto Maple Leafs blue line has been missing, but with a bright future ahead, it's not a good sign that early in his first training camp he is taking hits like this that could lead to major damage.
From all reports behind the scenes, the Maple Leafs and Danford were thrilled with the selection, with an impressive 33 points scored for the Oshawa Generals a year ago, so hopefully he can rebound from this and use his elite combination of size and skill to make an impact at the rest of camp as he tries to establish himself as a key part of the Maple Leafs future.
POLL | ||
12 SEPTEMBRE | 197 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick suffers head injury after being hit at training camp Will Ben Danford push for a spot on the Maple Leafs blue line in 2024/25? | ||
Yes | 86 | 43.7 % |
No | 111 | 56.3 % |
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