When the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery is held May 8 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) at NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, the rights to select Connor Bedard at No. 1 will be at stake.
Bedard is the top prospect for the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft and ranks among the most exciting prospects to ever enter the NHL.
He led the Western Hockey League with 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games with Regina, and had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in seven WHL playoff games.
That followed the 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) he had in seven games to help Canada win the gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 17-year-old was named tournament most valuable player and set a Canada record for most points in a WJC.
Bedard is No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters presented by BioSteel.
"Bedard has the elite skills and attributes that the elite NHL players have, and it's the precision in which he reads the play, is always in the right place and how he executes and capitalizes on plays," NHL Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said. "What places him in that Connor McDavid-special category is his natural presence of mind and instincts that allow him to channel all these attributes to dominate when the opportunity is there and when it's needed most by his team."
Only one team can win the NHL Draft Lottery, but fans of many teams already are dreaming of how Bedard would look in their team's jersey and plotting out potential line combinations.
Let's take a look at where and how Bedard would fit with each of the 11 teams that have a shot to win the No. 1 pick; while 16 teams will participate in the lottery drawing, teams only can move up a maximum of 10 spots.
Video: Bedard talks WHL career, expectations for Draft
Anaheim Ducks
Lottery odds: 18.5 percent
Possible fit: Bedard and Trevor Zegras on a line could make the Ducks one of the most entertaining teams in the NHL.
Bedard's skill combined with Zegras' creativity on Anaheim's top line with Troy Terry would have the potential to be one of the most explosive in the NHL.
Bedard also would be the lynchpin of an emerging crop of young players that includes defensemen Olen Zellweger, Tristan Luneau and Pavel Mintyukov, and forwards Mason McTavish, Sasha Pastujov and Jacob Perreault.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Lottery odds: 13.5 percent
Possible fit: The cannon at Nationwide Arena might sound more like a machine gun if Bedard and Johnny Gaudreau end up on the same line.
Gaudreau, in the first season of a seven-year, $68.25 million contract ($9.75 million average annual value), led the Blue Jackets with 74 points (21 goals, 53 assists) despite Columbus lacking a true No. 1 center. Bedard would change that immediately with his vision, creativity and skating, creating opportunities for Gaudreau that could be even better than when he was thriving with the Calgary Flames.
While a line with two undersized players in Bedard (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) and Gaudreau (5-9, 165), could struggle against physical play, Gaudreau has become a star NHL player by avoiding big hits, and he certainly would pass that knowledge along to Bedard.
Chicago Blackhawks
Lottery odds: 11.5 percent
Possible fit: What better way to follow the departure of one generational star, Patrick Kane, than with the arrival of another one in Bedard?
The Blackhawks are in full reset mode after trading Kane and announcing Jonathan Toews would not return. The next wave of Blackhawks will come through the draft, and Chicago has some pretty significant capital there.
After making three picks in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, they have two selections in the first round and as many as eight in the top three rounds of the 2023 draft, and the potential for two first-round picks in 2024 and 2025.
The core of Chicago's last championship run was led by draft picks like Kane, Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford. They'd certainly like to draft Bedard as the centerpiece of the next title run.
San Jose Sharks
Lottery odds: 9.5 percent
Possible fit: Bedard, a right-shot center, would look pretty nice alongside the Sharks' top prospect, left wing William Eklund.
Eklund, the No. 7 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, showed flashes of his high-end skill set this season, with 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 54 games with San Jose of the American Hockey League, and three points (two goals, one assist) in eight games with the Sharks in March.
With Bedard and Eklund on one line, and Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl on another line, the Sharks would be planting the seeds of a pretty good offensive attack.
Montreal Canadiens
Lottery odds: 8.5 percent
Possible fit: Bedard alongside Cole Caufield certainly would scare some teams. Caufield has proven he doesn't need much time or space to utilize his dangerous shot. Now imagine him having the kind of open ice that gets created when multiple defenders try to slow Bedard.
The last time Caufield played with an elite center, it was Jack Hughes with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team in 2018-19, and he scored 72 goals in 64 games.
Or what about Bedard with Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft? Slafkovsky had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 39 games, but was bounced around the lineup and missed the final 38 games of the season because of a lower-body injury. Playing alongside Bedard could be the spark that unlocks his full package of skills.
Arizona Coyotes
Lottery Odds: 7.5 percent
Best fit: Bedard, the newest NHL superstar, would be the perfect centerpiece for the Coyotes' new Tempe arena.
Having Bedard as the focal point of what's being built on the ice also would be ideal. The Coyotes haven't had a legitimate No. 1 center since Jeremy Roenick played in Arizona from 1996-2001, but between Logan Cooley, the No. 3 pick of the 2022 draft, and Bedard, the Coyotes would have some outstanding young depth at the position.
And Bedard would have his pick of talented wings to play with, among them Clayton Keller, who had NHL career bests in goals (37), assists (49) and points (86); Mattias Maccelli, who was second among NHL rookies with 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists); and Dylan Guenther, the No. 9 pick of the 2021 draft who made his NHL debut this season and leads Seattle of the Western Hockey League with 11 goals in 10 playoff games. Any of them would benefit from having Bedard on their line.
Bedard also could turn the Coyotes into a free agent destination. In addition to the great weather and a brand-new arena, having a generational talent to potentially play alongside of would be just another way for the Coyotes to make themselves attractive.
Philadelphia Flyers
Lottery odds: 6.5 percent
Best fit: Bedard would be the first transformational superstar the Flyers have had since they acquired Eric Lindros in 1992.
At that point the Flyers had missed the playoffs three straight seasons, just like now. With Lindros, they reached the 1995 Eastern Conference Final, and then played in the 1997 Stanley Cup Final.
With the pieces already in place, it's easy to envision Bedard having a similar impact in Philadelphia.
A healthy Sean Couturier, who missed the season because of a back injury, would provide a veteran for Bedard to learn from and shield him from the toughest matchups. And the Flyers are well-stocked with quality wings for Bedard to skate with, among them Travis Konecny, who scored 31 goals this season; Owen Tippett, who scored 27 goals; and Tyson Foerster, their first-round pick (No. 23) in the 2020 NHL Draft who made his NHL debut March 9 and had seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games.
Washington Capitals
Lottery odds: 6.0 percent
Best fit: Connor Bedard alongside Alex Ovechkin? How long do you think it would take Ovechkin to score the 73 goals he needs to pass Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL mark of 894?
Bedard's hockey IQ is one of his best traits, and he'd learn pretty quickly how to slow the game down and play it the way Ovechkin wants, and find him in all his favorite spots at 5-on-5 and on the power play.
Ovechkin will turn 38 before the start of next season, but the opportunity to play with a generational talent like Bedard could provide an energy boost. And after missing the playoffs, Bedard's impact would be felt throughout a lineup that is built around 30-and-over stars like Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom (35), T.J. Oshie (36), Evgeny Kuznetsov (30) and John Carlson (33).
Detroit Red Wings
Lottery odds: 5.0 percent
Best fit: Bedard's arrival in Detroit would be the talk of Hockeytown.
Dylan Larkin and Bedard through the middle would give Detroit its best center depth since Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg a decade ago.
Bedard growing comfortable on a line with Marco Kasper, their first-round pick in the 2022 draft (No. 8), along with the chemistry already developed by Larkin and Lucas Raymond, would be the kind of puzzle pieces needed to slide into place to help the Red Wings speed up their return to the postseason after seven straight seasons on the outside.
St. Louis Blues
Lottery odds: 3.5 percent
Best fit: Bedard stacked with Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn would be impressive depth through the middle for the Blues.
It also would allow Pavel Buchnevich, who was shifted to second-line center late in the season out of desperation, to return to the wing.
Bedard would have his choice of top-flight wings to play with, from 37-goal scorer Jordan Kyrou to Buchnevich, Brandon Saad, Jakub Vrana or a developing Jake Neighbours. There's also the potential arrival of Zachary Bolduc, St. Louis' first-round pick (No. 17) in the 2021 draft who had back-to-back 50-goal seasons with Quebec of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
As the Blues shift from the 2019 Stanley Cup championship team to a core built around Kyrou and Thomas, adding Bedard could make this a one-season blip on their postseason radar.
Vancouver Canucks
Lottery odds: 3.0 percent
Best fit: Bedard, who was born in North Vancouver, would arrive as the hometown hero looking to help the Canucks put this season's disappointment behind them.
He also would give the Canucks a top-flight center behind Elias Pettersson, building a foundation in the mold of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with the Pittsburgh Penguins, or Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the Edmonton Oilers.
Bedard on a line with Brock Boeser has the potential to help Boeser rediscover his game, or Bedard paired with Andrei Kuzmenko could help the forward build on the 39 goals he scored in his first NHL season. Conor Garland, with his speed and tenacity, also would work well with Bedard.
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