Once upon a time, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a promising defensive prospect. He was a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. His ceiling wasn’t stratospheric, but the hope was that he could morph into a solid NHL blueliner.
The Leafs gave him as many opportunities as they could. He even logged some top-pairing minutes for a short while. But he just didn’t live up to expectations. At times, defensive gaffes turned into goals. Other times, he just wasn’t the sort of high-end defenseman the Maple Leafs needed to contend for a Stanley Cup.
That prospect was Travis Dermott.