CHICAGO — 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.
PHOTOS: Lottery could alter offseason plans for NHL's worst teams
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, Chicago (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).
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