Editor In Leaf
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Toronto Maple Leafs: The Top Five Prospect Options

By Andrew Boehmer

TORONTO, ON- SEPTEMBER 25 - Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) and the Leafs listen to the Canadian National anthem as the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens in NHL pre-season action at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. September 25, 2017. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON- SEPTEMBER 25 - Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) and the Leafs listen to the Canadian National anthem as the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens in NHL pre-season action at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. September 25, 2017. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
OTTAWA, ON – SEPTEMBER 18: Ottawa Senators defenseman Johnny Oduya (29) backhands a pass from behind the net with Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Kasperi Kapanen (24) giving chase during third period National Hockey League preseason action between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators on September 18, 2017, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Toronto Maple Leafs still have a fantastic prospect pool.

Many of the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t going to make the team this season and that’s fine because some aren’t completely ready.

However, we still have the unique opportunity to rank five Leafs prospects and how I’m going about my ranking is by picking the best suited to play for the club this season.

I’m trying to separate prospects like Timothy Liljegren away from the five that I’ve chosen for this article to differentiate their stages in development.

Liljegren is still some time off from being ready to play in the NHL, in my opinion, that is.

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He’ll serve as the most notable prospect in the Leafs system that won’t appear in this top five article.

For some others, it’s a fine line, but when it comes down to NHL readiness, skill and work ethic, I believe the five that I’ve selected match the prerequisites.

Now, I’m not saying any of the five included in this slideshow will make the Leafs roster for the 2017-18 season right out of the gate, but they definitely have earned a chance.

I’ll expand on which players I think have the best chance to crack the squad on opening night, October 4, less than one week away.

There’s always a chance some may find their way onto the team at another point in the season, just keep that in mind.

Okay, let’s get going and work our way down to number one, but we’ll start with two bonus fringe players.

Disclaimer, this is going to be a long article.

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