The Leafs rookie made a big splash when he scored a record four goals in his NHL debut against Ottawa. But the lack of games against each other left the potential for a rivalry stalled from the start. The hype around the top two picks last year — Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel —— holds all the promise of a great, one-on-one rivalry. But tough injury luck has left any potential for a rivalry still in the starting gates. “There’s so much more of a marketing machine around the NHL draft now than there was 10 years ago when Crosby and Ovechkin were drafted.

Source: thestar October 22, 2016 20:53 UTC