Looking back at the Ottawa Senators’ draft class of 2017, you can draw a variety of conflicting opinions. On one hand, they selected Shane Bowers 28th overall, the only first-round pick from that year who has yet to play an NHL game. On the other hand, the value they’ve gotten out of a couple of key players has far exceeded that of the four picks with which they went into the draft.
Fourth-rounder Drake Batherson immediately comes to mind, primarily because he’s become arguably Ottawa’s best player at the moment and the best late-round steal since Daniel Alfredsson.