Winners and Losers of the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery

Credit: Connor Bedard (Bob Frid/CHL Images)

Somehow, someway, the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery managed to leave a gag-inducing taste in the mouth of…31 fan bases on Monday night? From the strange disconnect between the spontaneity of the picks and the evident advance knowledge on the broadcast to arguably the least deserving franchise in the league landing the No. 1 pick, it wasn’t a celebratory night for the sport.

That said: it’s still absolutely worth discussing the ripple effect of the Chicago Blackhawks wining the draft lottery. We can dislike the result, but it’s important not to punish Bedard himself for it either. He has nothing to do with the franchise’s shameful recent past. His arrival in the league is a landmark moment regardless of where he plays.

So who are the big winners and losers of the 2023 lottery?

WINNERS

Chicago Blackhawks

Ugh. Yep. The franchise that landed the No. 1 pick in 2007 and drafted Patrick Kane, won Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and covered up the sexual assault of Kyle Beach gets a big, juicy reward for a shameless tank job in 2022-23. Rather than punish the franchise’s bungling of the Beach situation via forfeiture of draft capital – the way it did, for instance, the Arizona Coyotes for violating the scouting combine testing policy in 2019-20 – the NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million in December 2021. Now, the Hawks own the next generational talent, and for anyone keeping score: they netted $1.9 million in season ticket sales Monday night alone.

Connor Bedard

In the short term, it won’t feel like Monday’s outcome was a win for Bedard given the justifiably negative response to Chicago earning the right to pick him. But this is a superstar in the making landing in one of the biggest North American markets. When we factor in things like sponsorship and endorsements, becoming a Blackhawk gives Bedard potential for exposure that not even all-time icon Connor McDavid gets at the moment playing for the Edmonton Oilers.

2023 Unrestricted Free Agents

Say you’re a UFA – a forward in particular. You’re trying to think of an appealing destination. Now the Blackhawks beckon, swimming in cap space and offering (a) the chance to live in a bustling city like Chicago and (b) the chance to play with Bedard. It doesn’t get more tempting than that. Does it also drastically increase the odds of Patrick Kane returning to the Windy City?

U.S. TV rights holders

With all due respect to Columbus or Anaheim or San Jose and so on, Chicago was probably the preferred Bedard landing spot for the NHL, already an established hockey town with a robust market when the team is successful. The NHL, ESPN and TNT have to be dancing jigs of joy for the long-terms ratings boost they’ll get thanks to the ability to nationally televise Blackhawks games.

Conspiracy Theorists

If you’re part of the tinfoil hat crowd that loves to fire off ‘RIGGED!’ like a six-shooter in a Western as soon as the lottery results are in, Monday had to be pure catnip. The Evil Empire team with the best U.S. TV market winning? Check. Kevin Weekes announcing that the Blue Jackets had the No. 3 pick before NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly read the result? That was pretty much tossing an aerosol can into the conspiracy theorists’ bonfire. BOOM. If you’re one of these people, I pity you. It’s totally OK to hate the result – but please, for your sanity, don’t waste your energy believing in the sports equivalent of Bigfoot.

LOSERS

Columbus Blue Jackets

At 13.5 percent, the Blue Jackets had the second-best odds to win the lottery. Not only did they whiff on Bedard, but they missed on both lottery picks, meaning no Bedard or Adam Fantilli. Either of them would’ve drastically altered the Jackets’ trajectory starting next season. The Blue Jackets are still guaranteed a great talent at No. 3 overall, but they’re no longer a lock to get a player who jumps right to the NHL. I wouldn’t bet against projected No. 3 Leo Carlsson, however.

Anaheim Ducks

So the Ducks had easily the top odds at 25.5 percent but walked away with the No. 2 pick. I have to acknowledge them in this space as a “loser” because any team that doesn’t get to pick Bedard should feel sad about it, but, hey, Fantilli is the real deal. He’ll be a great get. So I’m not going to burn too much of the word count sympathizing for a Ducks team that is building a really impressive stable of young players, from Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and Jamie Drysdale at the NHL level to blueliners on the way such as Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger.

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes are the lone team we could conceivably categorize under ‘Might need No. 1 pick to avoid relocation.’ The Bedard Factor could’ve changed everything for the franchise. One week before the Tempe vote on the Coyotes acquiring 46 acres of city-owned land on which to potentially build a new arena, having Bedard in pocket would’ve been a massive selling point.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings, already inching toward playoff contention and armed with some exciting young players, are really just missing one key piece, but it’s the most important piece: a superstar scoring center. Captain Dylan Larkin and top forward prospect Marco Kasper don’t fit the bill of perennial Art Ross Trophy contender. With the Wings dropping to ninth in the draft, they’ll be picking outside the can’t-miss-prospect tier.

Karmic Justice

The franchise that covered up Kyle Beach’s sexual assault by video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 now gets a player that puts it on the path to glory, profit, championships, you name it. It feels like the pure opposite of “What goes around, comes around.” While many of the parties involved are no longer with the franchise, owner Rocky Wirtz is poised to reap the benefits of the Bedard Era. His son Danny is the team CEO now, but the spoils of Bedard very much stay in the family.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks had the worst lottery odds of the 11 eligible teams, so there certainly wasn’t an entitlement to Bedard. But it sure would’ve been a magical moment for the star-crossed franchise if it landed the local boy to guide them out of a dark period.

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