Toronto Maple Leafs: Re-Drafting the Top 10 in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft

DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 18: Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche looks on in the first period of Game One in the First Round against the Seattle Kraken of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 18, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

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After the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the 2017 playoffs, what awaited them as well as other teams who were either eliminated from the playoffs or didn’t qualify at all was the 2017 draft.

Headlined by the Hischier/Patrick battle of which one of them would go first overall, it was deemed to be a pretty weak draft class by some. In that draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs went on to select Timothy Liljegren with the 17th overall selection.

Not a bad pick, but it’s still too bad they didn’t take Jason Robertson (39th) or even Rob Thomas (20).

This was also the season where the Colorado Avalanche were at the bottom of the entire NHL with a whopping 48 points.

On top of that, they would “lose” the draft lottery by earning the fourth overall pick.

The guy they selected, not a big name whatsoever just a Norris winner, Stanley Cup Champion, and arguably the best defensemen in the league, was Cale Makar.

Safe to say, the Avs didn’t lose after all.

But how is everyone else doing in the draft? Well with the 2023 NHL draft coming up, let’s re-draft the top ten picks of the 2017 draft.

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