2017 NHL Re-Draft: Canadiens Suzuki Ranks Well, Stars Dominate

The 2017 NHL Draft was initially called weak, but many teams, including the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars, are loving the talent that came out of this class.

Yet another draft without a true consensus No.1 ranked prospect, the 2017 NHL Draft acts as a warning to onlookers about writing off a draft too quickly.

Although Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick were ranked first and second, what followed them would go on to be rather elite.

In retrospect, Cale Makar is unquestionably the best player to come out of this draft class, having won the Calder, Norris, Conn Smythe and a Stanley Cup, all before the age of 24. Despite finishing dead last in the 2016-2017, the Colorado Avalanche lost all three lotteries and picked fourth; and they still got the best player in this draft.

He’s followed closely by Jason Robertson, who has exploded out of the gate for the Dallas Stars since the age of 20 to become one of the premier power forwards in the NHL.

The Dallas Stars also walked away from the 2017 NHL Draft with Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger, whom they picked 3rd and 26th overall; talk about a haul!

It’s even more incredible when you consider that Montreal’s selection of Ryan Poehling at 25th overall prompted the Chicago Blackhawks, who had the 26th overall pick, to trade down after the Canadiens selected the player they wanted.

The Vancouver Canucks also lucked out when they took a flyer on Elias Pettersson, who’s gone on to be a premier top-line centre. The St-Louis Blues also got a diamond in the rough when they selected top-line forward Robert Thomas at 20th overall.

Meanwhile, both the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators got two of the top forwards in this draft, but they didn’t draft them. Both came by way of massive trades, as Nick Suzuki and Josh Norris were stolen from the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks for Max Pacioretty and Erik Karlsson, respectively. Now both are top-10 talents in this draft.

To see where Suzuki and other members would go in a 2017 NHL Re-Draft, see the list below and let us know what you think: