There can be no whiffs, no bad guesses, no swings-and-misses, no duds instead of studs.

In other words, no replications of the Tyler Biggs Affair.

With management officially igniting the process Sunday of ripping apart the underachieving Maple Leafs roster with the trading of defenceman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli to Nashville, the organization, after years of talking the talk when it came to actually embarking on a rebuild, finally seems to have shed its hollow words and actually appears to be walking the walk.

That’s all fine and good, not to mention long overdue.

But changing the foundation of a franchise is contingent on results, not just a change in philosophy. As such, the 2015 NHL entry draft — especially the first round — could make or break the entire process moving forward.

Now that the suits running MLSE finally have capitulated to changing the blueprint from the previous “We need to win now” attitude that has prevailed in the salary cap era, the upcoming draft arguably is the most important one this team has entered in recent memory.

In the words of general manager Dave Nonis during a phone interview on Sunday: “We have to hit on these picks. We just have to.”

While he believes that to be the case with all the picks the Maple Leafs will make in Sunrise, Fla., in early July, Nonis was specifically referring to the two first-round selections the Leafs now hold, the second coming over from Nashville along with prospect Brendan Leipsic and veteran Olli Jokinen in the swap for Franson and Santorelli, a pair of pending unrestricted free agents.

Given their monumental collapse here in the new year — the Leafs have just two victories in 2015, none coming on the road — it appears Toronto will finish as one of the league’s bottom feeders, pretty much ensuring they’ll end up in the lower half-dozen teams in the standings. And while defying the odds and winning the Connor McDavid draft lottery could certainly be construed as a franchise changer, it is a better bet that the Leafs will pick somewhere in the top six.

They have to make it count.

More importantly, while understanding the fickle nature of trying to predict how these teenage boys will fare in a league of grown men, the Leafs can not afford a repeat of the 2011 draft, the previous time Toronto held a pair of first rounders.

With then-GM Brian Burke smitten with the potential of Biggs, the Leafs sent Boston’s first-round pick (30th overall) and Toronto’s second-round pick (39th overall) to Anaheim in exchange for the 22nd overall pick. Shortly afterwards, Biggs became the latest member of the Great Maple Leafs Hope club.

Almost four years later, scouts around the league consider that selection to be a bust. With Biggs having compiled just four points in 39 games with the Marlies this season, it is easy to see why.

With the 25th overall pick that year, the Leafs went for defenceman Stuart Percy, a kid who has exhibited flashes of potential, so much so that he made the NHL roster coming out of training camp last October. Having said that, injuries have plagued the progress of the young blueliner, who still needs to iron out some warts in his game.

While the Leafs were settling for Biggs and Percy, consider some of the prominent names that were picked after them: goalie John Gibson (39th, Anaheim), forward Brandan Saad (43rd, Chicago) and forward Matt Nieto (47th, San Jose), among others.

In order for history not to repeat itself, expect newcomers Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas to play major roles in making the key decisions on the draft floor.

Hunter, who served as the general manager of the London Knights before coming to the Leafs as the director of player personnel early this season, is well schooled on the pluses and minuses of the top prospects in the Ontarion Hockey League. In fact, one of his former players, Knights forward Mitch Marner, the OHL leader in scoring entering Sunday’s action, could be in play for Toronto.

“Mark Hunter and his staff have been doing comprehensive work on preparing for the draft,” Nonis said. “I’m sure he and (scouting director) Dave Morrison were not fearful when they heard we’d acquired a second first-rounder today. Anything but.”

Dubas, meanwhile, is less than a year removed from being the general manager of the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds. And while most of the buzz surrounding his hiring as Leafs assistant GM last summer revolved around his keen knowledge of analytics, not enough is made of his insight into the junior game and the players who perform in it.

Just over a week ago, Dubas attended a game between the Otters and Greyhounds at the Erie Insurance Arena. When he was asked what he was doing there, Dubas replied that he was on “Erie duty.”

Understandable, given that the Otters’ Connor McDavid and teammate Dylan Strome are both ranked in the top six, where the Leafs stand to pick.

In the unlikely event that they land the top pick in the lottery - aka Connor McDavis - the Leafs automatically will consider the draft of 2015 a success.

If not, they’ll have to make sure those two first round selections translate into lucrative returns.

The momentum of their so-called “rebuild” depends on it.

STROME BLED LEAFS COLOURS

Much like his famous teammate Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome would gleefully embrace tugging a Maple Leafs jersey over his chest one day.

And unless Dave Nonis and co. hit the jackpot by winning the draft lottery — “Connor McDavid, come on down!” — Strome is a much more likely possibility to be available when the Leafs announce their first-round pick in Sunrise, Fla., this summer at the 2015 entry draft.

Ranked fifth overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Strome entered play Sunday as the second-leading scorer in the Ontario Hockey League, compiling 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points in just 53 games. At 6-3 and 187 lbs, he is the type of big scoring centre teams like the Leafs are thirsting for, although he’ll have to beef up considerably to stand the rugged rigours of NHL life.

During Steve Stamkos’ final season of junior, the gifted sniper admitted that he monitored the NHL standings frequently in order to see where his beloved Leafs sat — and, more importantly, if they had a shot at drafting him.

Years later, is Strome, a Mississauga native, doing the same?

“I’m going to try not to as much as I can,” said Strome during a recent interview in Erie, Pa. “At the same time people tweet about it and things like that.

“I hear some things but you never know what can happen. If (the Leafs are) the team that picks me on draft day, I’ll definitely be thrilled.”

Strome, whose Erie Otters visit the Mississauga Steelheads Monday afternoon, is accustomed to wearing Maple Leafs colours.

“I obviously watched them growing up,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.

“I grew up playing for the Marlies so it’s blue-and-white. I kind of bled blue and white. If it’s that team, it’s great - but any team is good.

PICK & GRIN

Unless the Nashville Predators fold down the stretch thanks to a Leafs-like collapse — an unlikely scenario, to be sure — they’ll likely finish in the NHL’s top six during the regular season.

That being the case, the first-round draft pick acquired by Leafs GM David Nonis in the Cody Franson-Mike Santorelli deal with Nashville is expected to a translate into a selection somewhere between 25th and 30th overall.

Here is a look at some of the more successful picks at the bottom of the first round in the past 10 years.

n 2014, RW David Pastrnak, 25th overall, Boston Bruins

Already has five goals in just 19 games for Bruins this season.

n 2012, LW Tanner Pearson, 30th overall, Los Angeles Kings

Has 15 goals this season ... Helped Kings win Cup last spring as part of “That 70s Line” with Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli.

n 2010, C Evgeny Kuznetsov, 26th overall, Washington Capitals

Has 33 points for Caps this season, spending some time on the top line with Ovechkin and Backstrom.

n 2010, C/RW Charlie Coyle, 28th overall, San Jose Sharks

Now with the Minnesota Wild, he has 66 career points.

n 2010, C Brock Nelson, 30th overall, New York Islanders

Breakout season for Isles in 2014-15 with 15 goals already.

n 2009, RW Kyle Palmieri, 26th overall, Anaheim Ducks

11 goals for Ducks this season; has already scored 40 times in his young career.

n 2008, C Tyler Ennis, 26th overall, Buffalo Sabres.

One of Sabres few consistent performers the past few seasons with 197 points in 322 games.

n 2008, D John Carlson, 27th overall, Washington Capitals.

Developed into one of the upper echelon offensive defenceman in National Hockey League with 172 points in 372 games.

n 2007, LW David Perron, 26th overall, St. Louis Blues

With 287 career points, gifted forward now finds himself as Sidney Crosby’s winger with the Penguins.

n 2006, C Patrick Berglund, 25th overall, St. Louis Blues

Has accrued 237 career points on a very deep Blues team.

n 2006, LW Nick Foligno, 28th overall, Ottawa Senators.

Son of former NHLer Mike Foligno has emerged into a star with the Columbus Blue Jackets ... 258 career points and 455 penalty minutes.

n 2005, C Andrew Cogliano, 25th overall, Edmonton Oilers

Now with the Ducks, he’s had seven consecutive seasons with double-digit goals entering 2014-15.

n 2005, D Matt Niskanen, 28th overall, Dallas Stars

Slick puck-moving blueliner is now in Washington ... Has 184 career points, a good chunk of them accrued on the power play.