Tyler Bozak looked terrible the first time Brian Burke went to scout him up close at the University of Denver.



“They played Colorado College and they got killed,” Burke, the former Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager, recalled in a recent interview. “It might have been the worst game that Tyler Bozak played in college hockey. But even there, I saw real positives. I saw even when they got down he didn't stop trying. I liked the way he read the plays. I liked his defensive zone coverage.



“And so I said to him afterward, 'I might have just seen the worst game you played at Denver, but I'm still here to talk to you about signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.'”



Almost a decade has passed since, during which Bozak has unexpectedly become one of the longest-serving players in the 100-year history of the Leafs and one of the more productive undrafted players in recent NHL memory.



Assuming he plays in every...