Bedard Pick Only First Step for Blackhawks
Winning the Lottery means more in certain years, and 2023 is one of them as the Chicago Blackhawks seek to lower their NHL futures odds substantially when they make forward Connor Bedard the first pick Wednesday in Nashville.
Bedard, who won’t turn 18 until mid-July, has shown superior talent in all areas of the game with an elite hockey sense that will undoubtedly make the Blackhawks better down the road.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Bedard, born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, had 143 points in 57 games for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League this regular season. He added 20 in seven playoff games and 23 in seven contests for gold medal-winning Canada at the World Juniors.
“He is just an incredible offensive talent of the likes we haven’t really seen at his age by anyone in decades.” – @mike_p_johnson
How many points will Connor Bedard put up in his rookie season? @TonyLuftman | @KenDaneykoMSG | #NHLDraft | #Blackhawks | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/q1wwVAbbu6
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 20, 2023
Bedard likely becomes Chicago’s No. 1 center or a top-line wing this fall, but how much impact can he make for a team on the rebuild with only two NHL forwards currently signed past next season? The Blackhawks may still be expected to miss the playoffs by most when NHL predictions are made for the 2023-24 season.
“The last thing you want to do is rush (the rebuild), short-circuit it, and then we’re right back in the messy middle,” Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson told the Chicago Sun-Times. “That’s not what we want. We want to be in the top third.”
No. 1 Picks Transform Franchises
There’s a good chance more than half of the last 20 first-overall picks will eventually make the Hall of Fame.
Between 2003 and 2009, Marc-Andre Fleury, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares were picked first. In fact, Drew Doughty went second behind Stamkos in 2008 and Victor Hedman was taken second after Tavares in 2009. That group, including Hedman, Tavares and 2006 No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson, combined to win 17 Stanley Cups.
But superstar Connor McDavid, who went No. 1 to Edmonton in 2015, has yet to have the right mix of players around him to reach the Cup Final.
“I’m my own person, I’m my own player.”
Connor Bedard speaks on comparisons to Connor McDavid. pic.twitter.com/hLveR4mtHE
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2023
It will take time for Chicago to build the right structures around Bedard. Davidson said the Blackhawks’ brass will have to do their job at the draft table. Chicago also has the 19th pick in the first round in Nashville, four second-round selections and two in the third.
What Can Chicago Add?
Davidson has a ton of cap space to work with as he attempts to fill the lineup for 2023-24 around his young players.
Former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall (693 career points) was added to the forward corps in a trade with Boston on Monday. Veteran forward Nick Foligno was also acquired in the deal for young defensemen Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell. Chicago will try to sign the unrestricted free agent.
The Hawks inked speedy wing Andreas Athanasiou (20 goals, 40 points 2022-23) to a two-year contract before he went to free agency and Taylor Raddysh (20) is the only other returning player who scored more than 12 goals last season.
Chicago is pretty well stocked on defense with veterans Seth Jones and Connor Murphy, along with a group of prospects led by first-round picks Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan, second-round choice Alex Vlasic and third-rounder Wyatt Kaiser – among others.
Lukas Reichel, Luke Philp, Cole Guttman and Boris Katchouk have shown promise up front, but no doubt Davidson will be looking to surround Bedard with more veteran forwards. Just how many Chicago brings in may be the indicator of how quickly it can contend and be among the NHL experts’ picks to make the 2023-24 postseason..
Davidson will also need to decide what to do with his goaltending. Veteran Petr Mrazek has one year left on his deal. Will Chicago go out and get a veteran goalie or give youngsters Jaxson Stauber, Drew Commesso and Arvid Soderblom a year to blossom?
The Blackhawks could just use 2023-24 as a foundation, take their lumps and add another high draft pick next summer. Then they could be in consideration when NHL picks are made for the 2025 postseason.
Are the Hawks A Good Bet?
Davidson, at just 34 years old, does not have the experience to build a winning team. But he held lower positions with the Blackhawks during two Stanley Cup seasons in 2012-13 and 2014-15.
Bedard’s expected immediate production, many draft picks, a decent group of prospects and plenty of cap space gives Davidson some tools.
Coach Luke Richardson had Chicago ready to play most nights last season, despite finishing 26-49-7 – one point from the bottom of the league. The Hawks’ lack of depth led to losing streaks, but they beat Boston in March and won at Calgary and Pittsburgh in April – contributing to both teams missing the playoffs.
“We’re probably too early for me to say ‘OK, by this year, we’re going to be competing for a playoff spot,” Davidson told the Sun-Times. “The players will dictate that, (as well as) the job that we do bringing in talent.”
Chicago is +20000 to win the 2024 Stanley Cup in the current Las Vegas hockey odds. But if you can get huge odds on the Hawks to make the postseason, they might not be a bad bet because Bedard is that special and the right free agents could speed the process.
Despite being pesky, Chicago was just 35-47 ATS at the sportsbook last season. Time will tell if Bedard is an immediate star and when the Hawks are ready to contend again.
