With the NHL Draft wrapped up, TSN.ca Maple Leafs reporter Kristen Shilton reviews the team’s moves and decisions over the weekend.

Whether Leafs got better will take years to determine

After drafting Auston Matthews in the first round, head coach Mike Babcock met with the media and fielded a question he said he gets asked “every three weeks” - how does this speed up Toronto's process? That’s a loaded query after the addition of one 18-year-old to a team that finished in 30th two months ago, and not much clearer with 10 more prospects in the fold. With the exception of Matthews and perhaps fourth-rounder Adam Brooks, it’s unlikely any of these players will play meaningful minutes with Toronto next season, and some not for many seasons, if at all. Down the road, the impact of the 2016 draft class will come into focus.

Frederik Andersen for the No. 30 pick was most prudent choice

The most conspicuous absence from the Maple Leafs roster heading into the draft was a No. 1 goaltender. There were no first round goalie prospects. Carter Hart was the first netminder selected and didn’t go off the board until midway through the second round to Philadelphia. Andersen’s arrival in Toronto will forever be tied to this draft. But whatever the future holds for him with the Maple Leafs, he makes the team better now. That’s more than would be said for any player picked there.

Acquisition of Kerby Rychel could start paying dividends soon

Toronto’s trade of defenceman Scott Harrington and a conditional pick to Columbus for Rychel came down just as Leafs director of player personnel Mark Hunter had finished discussing the eleven prospects the team drafted. But Rychel, son of former Leaf Warren Rychel and a first-round pick by Columbus in 2013, is as big a takeaway from Saturday as any other moves. The talented forward split time in 2015-16 with the Blue Jackets and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. Rychel tallied 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) over 37 regular season games in the AHL, and added six points (one goal, five assists) in 17 playoff games en route to a Calder Cup title with the Monsters. His two goals and seven assists in 32 games with Columbus are numbers to build on as he contends for a roster spot in Toronto at some point next season.

Toronto favoured some unconventional choices

Starting with the first pick of the second round, when the Leafs drafted over-age KHL forward Yegor Korschkov, they went on to pluck several other intriguing prospects throughout Saturday’s rounds. Four in total were over-age. One, WHL product Brooks, had been passed over in two previous drafts. Another, forward Jack Walker, was a defenceman less than two years ago. They add maturity and a little grit to a flourishing prospects group. But notably only goaltender Joseph Woll, taken at the top of the third round, was in Buffalo to accept his new blue and white jersey; all nine others selected that day were absent and many presumably were still overseas. The Maple Leafs will trot most if not all of them out in prospects camp starting July 3 in Toronto.

Why size now matters to Toronto

One dimensional teams don’t get far in today’s NHL. Offensive talent can be easily marooned going up against bigger opponents, rendering the vital assets in a lineup ineffectual. The Maple Leafs are brimming with electric, skilled prospects who were brought in to put points on the board. What they need to eventually thrive is big-bodied counterparts like the ones the Maple Leafs targeted this weekend. Nine of the 11 players drafted are 6’0” or taller. Defenders James Greenway and Keaton Middleton both stand at 6’5”, while fellow blueliner Nicolas Mattinen is 6’4”. Forwards Korschkov and Nikolai Chebykin are also 6’4”. The presence they can add with size alone is of benefit.

Carl Grundstrom stands out as prospect to watch

Compared to Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher by Hunter, Grundstrom, a 6’0” winger out of MoDo in Sweden, is known as a hard-working, imposing player. But as Hunter alluded to, he’s also a pesky presence on the ice. The Leafs tout character above everything during evaluations but an energetic spirit like Grundstrom’s can be a catalyst of its own to making things happen. Toronto could use more of that.