Big news for Canadiens fans regarding the Connor Bedard lottery

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Elias Adaime
April 21, 2023 (2:04 PM)

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The NHL draft lottery will take place on May 8th, attracting the hockey world's attention to Connor Bedard's next team for the 2023-2024 season.

Currently, the Canadiens have an 8.5% chance of winning the lottery and selecting Bedard. However, most experts believe that the Canadiens' chances of getting the first pick are slim, depriving them of an exceptional caliber player.

However, as reported by Cimon Asselin, on the site Habsolumentfan.com, It is important not to jump to hasty conclusions, as since 2016, there have been several occasions where teams that finished beyond fifth place were favored by the NHL draft lottery. Therefore, it is still possible for the Canadiens, despite their current low chance, to benefit from some luck and select Connor Bedard.

Indeed, last year, the New Jersey Devils were ranked fifth before the lottery and eventually moved up to the second spot to select Slovak defenseman Simon Nemec. There was also a similar situation three years ago when the Rangers moved from sixth to second and chose forward Kaapo Kakko.

Moreover, the Rangers won the lottery in 2020 to select forward Alexis Lafrenière. These examples show that the NHL draft lottery can bring surprises, and any team has a chance to win the first pick, regardless of their initial ranking.

Indeed, the examples of the Devils in 2017 and the Rangers in 2020 demonstrate that anything is possible in the NHL lottery, including for the team ranked fifth like the Canadiens this year.

However, it should be noted that the Canadiens' chances of moving from fifth to second place are similar to their chances of winning the first pick. Furthermore, it is important to note that this year, Adam Fantilli is considered a serious contender for the second pick after Connor Bedard.

Indeed, although the Canadiens' current strategy is to draft between fifth and seventh, the chances of Kent Hughes making one of the top two picks are still plausible.

This news is therefore very encouraging for Montreal Canadiens fans, who can continue to hope until the NHL lottery takes place on May 8th.