In 2005, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery for Sidney Crosby. In 2015, the Edmonton Oilers won the lottery for Connor McDavid. In 2023, another NHL team will inherit a young prodigy in Connor Bedard.
• Read also: Kent Hughes excited about the 2023 vintage
“You have no choice but to place him in the rare mold of a generational talent. He has incredible talent, but an equally incredible attitude, says a Western scout. It will change the image of a franchise like McDavid and Crosby did.”
Gary Bettman and Bill Daly will conduct the lottery on May 8. There will be two lotteries, one for the first choice and another for the second choice. Two draws that will change the history of two teams.
The Canadian will have his share of balls in the famous abacus. Mathematically, the CH will have an 8.5% chance of inheriting the phenomenon from the Regina Pats. In the spring of 2022, the Habs had won the lottery for the first choice, setting their sights on Slovak winger Juraj Slafkovsky a few months later. But at that time, the Habs had a 25.5% chance of winning the bet, the best possible percentage.
“We are confident that regardless of the result, we will have a very good player to draft, had underlined Hughes during the assessment of his team of April 14. Yes, we want to win the lottery again. But there are many bright hopes.”
Depending on the results of the lottery, the Habs could get the first, second, fifth, sixth or seventh pick in the first round. There is also a tiny probability of speaking in the third echelon (0.3%).
Favorite Ducks
A year later, the Anaheim Ducks find themselves in the same position thanks to their 32e and last place overall.
Pat Verbeek, general manager of the Ducks, therefore has a 25.5% chance of welcoming Bedard to the land of Walt Disney, California. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks are also likely to see their logos in Daily’s hands when he turns his card around.
A talented vintage
If the 2022 draft wasn’t magical with the Slafkosvky, Simon Nemec, Logan Cooley and Shane Wright, it’s a different story for the 2023 auction. It is described as one of the very good of the last years .
“The CH did not win the right year, replied a recruiter from the West. Among the 2023 hopefuls, there are easily four or five who could have become the top of the class in 2022.
After Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov, Leo Carlsson and Will Smith also have the label of very talented attackers.
At 18 and in his first year with the Michigan Wolverines, Fantilli engraved his name on the Hobey-Baker Trophy, awarded to the NCAA’s most valuable player. The tall, 6-foot-2 Ontario forward had a remarkable 65-point season in 36 games at Michigan.
The Michkov Mystery
The Connor Bedard of Russia. This is the comparison that often comes up with Michkov. He is a very dynamic winger, but his passport is likely to set back many DGs. Russia remains at war with Ukraine, his father died mysteriously in recent weeks and he has a contract with SKA Saint Petersburg until 2025-2026.
“It will be the mystery of the repechage, predicted a recruiter from the East. The team that picks him up can wait a long time like the Wild with Kirill Kaprizov. But Kaprizov was a fifth-round pick, not a second, third, or fourth pick overall!”
If Michkov leaves the top three, the Swede Leo Carlsson or the American Will Smith will be invited. In a brave new world, Carlsson has the potential to become Mats Sundin, while Smith has rare offensive skills.
The 10 hopefuls analyzed
Recruiter card methodology
The newspaper surveyed four scouts, three from the Western Association and one from the Eastern Association, to create the scout cards. Our four spies offered marks out of five for five different aspects: acumen, speed, character/competitor, puck skills and physical strength. You are presented with the average results after compiling the records of the four recruiters.
A score of five out of five remains a rare element. To illustrate his generational talent, Connor Bedard landed three perfect marks. Matvei Michkov and William Smith also received a perfect score, but in only one category. In the shadow of the biggest names, Colby Barlow landed a five for his character.