The NHL franchises could see their fortunes changed by the 2023 National Hockey League Entry Draft, as there are several potential franchise players available. Among them is Connor Bedard, a superstar from the Western Hockey League who set a scoring record this season in the WHL and helped Team Canada win a World Junior Gold. Bedard is already drawing comparisons to Connor McDavid in terms of his potential.
Although no NHL team will openly admit to tanking, the 2015 season finale between the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes demonstrated how some teams might benefit from losing. The loser of that game was guaranteed the best odds of selecting McDavid, and fans were cheering for their team to lose. Unfortunately for them, the Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery and selected McDavid.
Now, with Bedard poised to become the next superstar, teams are eagerly awaiting the chance to draft him. The bottom teams in the league have completed their season, and the following teams have the best odds of securing the first overall pick:
