At one point, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson downplayed the importance of the NHL draft lottery on his team’s offseason plans.
Moments later, Davidson allowed himself a wide grin as he pondered the possibilities.
“The top of the draft’s good,” he said with a smile. “Yeah, it’s a special top of the draft. There’s no doubt about it.”
It’s so good that a single ping-pong ball could have a ripple effect beyond the Blackhawks, the Anaheim Ducks, the Columbus Blue Jackets or another lucky NHL team looking to turn a dismal season into a blue-chip player.
High-scoring forward Connor Bedard is the top prize as the consensus No. 1 overall prospect, but University of Michigan star Adam Fantilli would be quite a return for whichever team gets the No. 2 pick. Matvei Michkov and Leo Carlsson also are expected to go in the top five.
Land one of the those top spots in the May 8 lottery, and a rebuilding team could decide to accelerate its timeline through free agency. The franchise that takes a chance on Michkov, who has a more uncertain future because of his contract with his Russian team, could position itself for another top pick in 2024.
The tantalizing talent of Bedard and Fantilli was an undercurrent throughout a season when the bottom of the standings was almost as interesting as what was going on at the top.
Anaheim (23-47-12) secured the league’s worst record by dropping its last 13 games. The reward is a 25.5% chance of its first No. 1 pick in the draft, and the Ducks are assured of a top-three selection when the lottery is held.
If Columbus (25-47-9) loses Friday night’s home game against Buffalo in regulation, it will have the second-best odds for No. 1 at 13.5%. If the Blue Jackets earn at least one point against the Sabres in their season finale, the Blackhawks (26-49-7) will finish with the league’s second-worst record.
The bottom three teams are followed by San Jose (22-44-16), Montreal (31-45-6) and Arizona (28-40-14).
