With the NHL Draft Lottery set for Monday, all hockey eyes will be on the team lucky enough to win the right to draft generational talent Conor Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Bedard is expected to be the best player to join the NHL since Connor McDavid, and there are a few teams that rejoice at the idea that he could join their ranks as early as next season.
The NHL tweeted a graph showing Bedard’s fit with each team eligible to win the lottery.
When it comes to the Anaheim Ducks, the idea of having Bedard and Trevor Zegras on the same team means perhaps putting two of the most energetic and energetic young players on the same club. Any given night will be the night of a feature ball play. They write, “Bedard and Trevor Zegras could make the Ducks one of the funniest teams in the NHL.”
“The cannon at Nationwide Arena will constantly explode if Bedard and Johnny Gaudreau end up on the same line.” Gaudreau recently signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent and is missing a really skilled offensive player who has a similar playing style to play with.
“What better way to follow the departure of a generation’s star, Patrick Kane, than with the arrival of another?” Kane was recently traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers and while he may not stay with the Rangers next season, he certainly won’t be returning to Chicago, where he’s rebuilding the team and would love to start rebuilding with Bedard. .
“With Bedard and William Ecklund in one line, and Logan Couture and Thomas Hertel in another, the Sharks will sow the seeds of a very good offensive attack.” The Sharks have struggled rebuilding, too. One of their main questions in this off-season will be whether to trade Erik Karlsson and knowing whether Bedard will be part of this team’s future could provide an answer to that question.
When it comes to the Montreal Canadiens, the graph notes, “Bedard along with Cole Caufield would intimidate some teams. Caufield doesn’t need much time or space to capitalize on his dangerous shot. Now imagine the kind of open ice that is created when he tries several Defenders slow down Bedard.”
As for the Arizona Coyotes, “Between Logan Cooley, the No. 3 pick of the 2022 draft, and Bedard, the Coyotes will have some outstanding young depth at the center position.” The Coyotes are still a long way away from being a playoff contender, but these two will get them into that conversation more quickly.
The Philadelphia Flyers have a lot of work to do to right the ship, but Bedard will go a long way to help get things back on track. They write, “Bedard will be the first turnaround star acquired by the Flyers since they acquired Eric Lindros in 1992.”
Finally, the Washington Capitals have a chance and they talk about the idea of Conor Bedard along with Alex Ovechkin. They noted, “How long do you think it will take for Ovechkin to score the 73 goals he needs to pass Wayne Gretzky’s all-time mark?”
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