According to HF the most talented players in the draft. So it is not impossible that Leafs really had Rielly as their #1 target seeing as speaking of natural talent, the kind that cant really be taught he was as good if not better then Yak and Gal.
And if you consider the other moves the management have done (post Kessel trade) you can see a red line in their thinking. They have traded away Schenn, Aulie, Veersteeg and acquired JVR, Ashton, Gardiner, Lupol and Liles then with their top picks drafted Rielly (very high hockey IQ, smooth skater, good hands and a good leader), Finn (smart, mobile and defensively stable with leadership qualities), Percy (high hockey IQ, mobile and a good leader) and Biggs (big power forward).
So they have traded away a small but skilled forward and two big defensive d-man and instead added a lot of size up front and smaller (still not undersized) but very smart and mobile defenders. And if you look at it like that then picking Rielly makes perfect sense since he is the best of them all.
In a few years I can see us playing a smart positional game in our own zone with hard forechecking forwards in the offensive zone.
Yakupov 9.0 C
Yakupov is considered the best pure goal-scorer from the 2012 NHL Draft. In addition to great hands, Yakupov may be the best skater in the draft. The main negative for Yakupov is that he's more of a pure finisher than an overall offensive talent; he needs to work on involving his teammates more and setting up plays. The smallish Yakupov also experienced some injury problems in 2011-12, something that could be a problem in an NHL increasingly ruled by big men.
Galchenyuk 8.5 C
Many scouts felt that Galchenyuk was more talented overall than his Sarnia Sting teammate, Nail Yakupov. Galchenyuk may not be the natural goal-scorer that Yakupov is, but he has good hands and the ability to see and make plays that the average player may not be able to conjure up. Galchenyuk also pays attention to the defensive side of the game, moreso than does Yakupov. In time, Galchenyuk should be a contender to be a No. 1 center with the Canadiens.
Rielly 8.5 C
Rielly was the top offensive defenseman in the 2012 draft class. His skating, passing, and puck skills are all top-notch, and he puts those skills to good use. Rielly has the look of a future power-play quarterback and puck-rushing defenseman. He'll need to work on his defensive game, but that isn't likely to keep him from making an arrival in the NHL sooner rather than later.
