Despite a new off-ice hierarchy led by Babcock and Lamoriello, both highly regarded around the league, the Leafs playing squad remained lackluster and once again finished near the bottom of the standings, actually finishing dead last in the league. However, the season brought some optimism as propects William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, and Zach Hyman (among others) made their NHL debuts. Further optimism arrived at the end of the season, as the Leafs won the top pick in the 2016 draft and drafted Auston Matthews with that pick. Team captain Dion Phaneuf was also traded to the Ottawa Senators mid-season and his position as captain would remain vacant for another 3 seasons.