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Connor Bedard is one of the hottest names in this year's NHL entry draft. He’s the most hyped prospect since perhaps 2014. Everyone wants him, but only one team will get him.
On May 10, the NHL community will wait and watch the ping pong balls that decide where Connor Bedard will be drafted. Not every team in the running is in the same situation, and it is yet to be seen where the generational talent will fit.
NHL teams that could land Connor Bedard
#1. Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have been all in on the Connor Bedard sweepstakes since the season began. The Blackhawks have only helped their chances with some of the worst goalie play in recent NHL history. Chicago's situation is complex, and their rebuild will not be a quick one.
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Bedard will help the Hawks in the short term. But for a team selling their best players for picks and prospects, this might not be a mutually beneficial relationship.
#2. Columbus Blue Jackets
Connor Bedard would be an interesting prospect for the Blue Jackets. Columbus has been running without a true identity, or star, for years. They just paid a king's ransom for the acquisition of Johnny Guadreau, who would be the perfect linemate for the young star.
These two together might be the easiest pieces to build a championship team around. Is Columbus a big enough market for possibly the next best player in the game?
#3. Anaheim Ducks
If the NHL were rigged, this is where he’d be headed. Connor Bedard and Trevor Zegras on the same team? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
The Anaheim Ducks wouldn’t just have one of the most exciting offenses in the game, they might have the fastest. Get a couple more key pieces, develop some players and you have a cup contender.
#4. San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks feel more like a Chicago Blackhawks situation than any other team on this list. The Sharks are in the similar position of trying to sell off key pieces like the Hawks, but in the Sharks' case, those pieces are still tied up long-term. Thus, they are harder to move.
Are key players going to wait around during their prime years while they turn the team over to a teenager? It would be an interesting situation.
#5. Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have been the NHL draft lottery’s whipping boy. That said, they haven’t helped themselves by consistently picking underperforming talent compared to the picks around them.
Connor Bedard would be a franchise changer. Bedard might be able to help draw Auston Matthews back to where he grew up once his mega deal expires. It looks like a dire situation in the desert, but a new stadium, a big free agent and a generational talent could turn it all around.
