Under a salary cap there is only one way to build a winner in the NHL, through the draft. Every team has figured it out but the Maple Leafs. That is why at the 2009 trading deadline, only one deal was made for a first round draft pick. It is suicide in the NHL today to give away high draft picks. And the way teams lock up their few star players, you aren't going to get another crack at them as free agents (the Sedins, Rick Nash, etc). Every other team has figured it out but our Leafs.
Below are the five drafts since the lockout. Some rounds the Leafs have multiple picks as a result of trades. The players in blue are currently with the Leafs. The players in green are picks still in the Leaf system. The ones in red are the players picked up in trades for draft picks.
| | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Round 1 | Andrew Raycroft | Phillippe Paradis | Veas Toskala | Luke Schenn | Nazem Kadri |
| Round 2 | Brian Leetch | Nikolai Kulemin | Vesa Toskala | James Hayes | Kenny Ryan Jesse Blacker |
| Round 3 | Phil Oreskovic | Jeff O’Neill | Dale Mitchell | Jamal Mayers | Jamie Devane |
| Round 4 | Ron Francis | James Reimer Korbinian Holzer | Matt Frattin Ben Winnett | Mikhail Stefanovich | Vesa Toskala |
| Round 5 | Alex Berry | Luke Richardson | Juraj Mikus | Greg Pateryn Joel Champagne Jerome Flaake | Eric Knodel |
| Round 6 | John Pohl | Viktor Stalberg Tyler Ruegsegger Leo Komarov | Chris DiDomenico | Grant Rollheiser | Jerry D’Amigo |
| Round 7 | | Chris Frank Benn Ferriero | Carl Gunnarsson | Andrew MacWilliam | Barron Smith |
