A generational player.
That’s the top prize for NHL futility as the race is on to see which franchise lands Connor Bedard in the most anticipated draft lottery since another Connor - McDavid - went to the Edmonton Oilers eight years ago.
Bedard's unbelievable 2023 World Junior tournament and outstanding season in the WHL fortified what almost everyone in the hockey world already knew – the Regina Pats forward is a super special talent. He tallied 71 goals and 143 points in just 57 games in his final junior season, a performance that ranks among the very best junior hockey greats.
"I think it's the best junior season by a player his age since Wayne Gretzky in 1977-78 (70 goals and 182 points),” says TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. “The separator for Bedard (from generational talents McDavid and Sidney Crosby) to put him with Gretzky is what he did in the world junior tournament. He dominated that tournament, he owned that tournament."
And one lucky NHL team will get him.
Which one will it be? An Anaheim Ducks team that already has young guns Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish? The rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks or Arizona Coyotes? The Canucks would love to bring the North Vancouver native home, while the Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets have a good shot as well.
Check out our lottery chart below to see the bottom 11 teams in the overall standings with the best chance to land this special player on May 8.
Note: A team participating in the Draft Lottery can move up only 10 spots in the order if it wins one of the lottery draws, so only the bottom 11 seeds are eligible for the first-overall selection. While the last place team has an 18.5 per cent chance of winning the lottery for the No. 1 overall pick, the additional percentages from the five non-playoff teams that did not finish in the bottom 11 are applied to the 32nd-place team resulting in a 25.5 per cent chance to win the lottery for the No. 1 overall pick.
Final Lottery Standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | PTS | P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 58 | .354 |
| 2 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 59 | .360 |
| 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 59 | .360 |
| 4 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 60 | .366 |
| 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 68 | .415 |
| 6 | Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 70 | .427 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 75 | .457 |
| 8 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 80 | .488 |
| 9 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 80 | .488 |
| 10 | St. Louis Blues | 82 | 81 | .494 |
| 11 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 83 | .506 |
NHL Lottery Odds: 1 - 25.5%, 2 - 13.5%, 3 - 11.5%, 4 - 9.5%, 5 - 8.5%, 6 - 7.5%, 7 - 6.5%, 8 – 6.0%, 9 – 5.0%, 10 – 3.5%, 11 – 3.0%
