Here is when we think Alex Ovechkin will break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record
Mackenzie Salmon looks at the earliest possible time Alex Ovechkin could break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record.
USA TODAY
An NHL team finishing poorly this season has a chance to win a big prize.
That’s Regina (Saskatchewan) Pats 5-10, 185-pound center Connor Bedard, a generational talent who was confirmed as the top North American prospect in NHL Central Scouting’s midseason rankings. He had been considered the top pick for 2023 for years.
Teams find themselves in the mix for different reasons. The Chicago Blackhawks parted with four players in the offseason. The Columbus Blue Jackets, meanwhile, signed top free agent Johnny Gaudreau but have been crushed by injuries.
With the winner of the draft lottery in April able to move up only 10 spots this year, the bottom 11 teams have a chance to land Bedard. Here’s a look at the teams with the best odds (statistics are as of Feb. 28; this file will be updated at various points during the season).
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Who’s Connor Bedard?
Bedard, who entered the Western Hockey League draft early as a 15-year-old, has put up big numbers while playing against older players. He has an NHL-level shot. The 17-year-old was named world junior championships MVP after getting 23 points in seven games for gold medalist Canada. He leads the WHL with 114 points in 45 games, including a 35-game point streak. Last season, he had 100 points in 62 games.
What are the draft lottery odds for Connor Bedard?
Columbus Blue Jackets — 61 GP, 20-35-6, 46 pts., .377. Odds: 25.5%
Anaheim Ducks — 61 GP, 20-34-7, 47 pts., .385. Odds: 13.5%
Chicago Blackhawks — 60 GP, 21-34-5, 47 pts., .392. Odds: 11.5%
San Jose Sharks — 61 GP, 18-31-6, 48 pts., .393. Odds: 9.5%
Arizona Coyotes — 60 GP, 21-30-9, 51 pts., .425. Odds: 8.5%
Vancouver Canucks — 60 GP, 24-31-5, 53 pts., .442. Odds: 7.5%
Philadelphia Flyers — 61 GP, 23-28-10, 56 pts., .459. Odds: 6.5%
Montreal Canadiens — 59 GP, 25-30-4, 54 pts., .467. Odds: 6.0%
St. Louis Blues — 60 GP, 26-29-5, 57 pts., .475. Odds: 5.0%
Washington Capitals — 63 GP, 29-27-6, 64 pts., .516. Odds: 3.5%
Florida Panthers — 62 GP, 30-26-6, 66 pts., .532. Odds: 3.0%
What’s the biggest recent news among teams in the Connor Bedard watch?
Two of the biggest trade targets amid the bottom team have been dealt. Chicago’s Patrick Kane is the latest, traded to the Rangers for two draft picks and a prospect. That continues their rebuild, which started in the offseason when they traded Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach and didn’t qualify Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik. They also recently moved defenseman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty to the Maple Leafs. Plus, captain Jonathan Toews is out with a health issue. The stripped-down Blackhawks have lost two in a row after a five-game winning streak.
The Sharks traded forward Timo Meier to the Devils on Feb. 26. While it will help New Jersey keep pace with the other big moves in the Eastern Conference, it will have the opposite effect on the Sharks in the short run. They lost a 31-goal scorer and the return is mostly long term, including a first-round pick, another potential first-rounder and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin, a former first-rounder playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. Fabian Zetterlund (six goals) is the only NHL regular this season. Andreas Johnsson is far removed from his lone 20-goal season and has played this season in the American Hockey League but will play with the parent club.
What other news is happening among Connor Bedard watch teams?
The Blue Jackets, who have picked up points in six of their last nine games, traded defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for goalie Jonathan Quick and two picks, including a conditional 2023 first-rounder. The Blue Jackets have goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov signed long-term, so Quick, 37, is unlikely to be part of the team’s future. The first-rounder becomes two second-rounders if the Kings miss the playoffs. … Ducks goalie John Gibson became the second goaltender since 1955-56 (when shots on goal began being tracked) to register three outings with 50-plus saves in a single month (also Gump Worsley in January 1963). … Sharks general manager Mike Grier indicated that defenseman Erik Karlsson isn’t likely to be traded before the deadline. … Coyotes defensemen Jakob Chychrun remains a healthy scratch while his team explores trade possibilities. Arizona also sat out forward Nick Bjugstad. … The Canucks traded defenseman Luke Schenn to the Maple Leafs and earlier acquired Vitali Kravtsov from the Rangers. They also yielded a goalie goal from the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark. … The banged-up Canadiens announced defenseman Arber Xhekaj will have season-ending shoulder surgery. They later traded winger Evgenii Dadonov to the Stars for winger Denis Gurianov. … The Flyers lost for the seventh time in eight games, getting crushed 7-0 by the Devils. Leading scorer Travis Konecny could be out for an extended period with an injury. James van Riemsdyk, a trade target, also is out. … The Blues claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the Penguins on Feb. 25. They sent forward Ivan Barbashev to the Golden Knights on Feb. 26 for prospect Zach Dean. Barbashev is the fourth pending UFA that the Blues have dealt recently. They have lost six in a row. …. The Capitals have dealt pending UFAs Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, Erik Gustafsson and Marcus Johansson. They landed young defenseman Rasmus Sandin in Gustafsson trade to the Maple Leafs and also gave up the Bruins’ first-round pick that they landed in the Orlov-Hathaway trade. … The Panthers don’t have their first-round pick, sending it last season to Montreal for defenseman Ben Chiarot, who’s now in Detroit.
