The 2023 NHL Draft order has been decided. After months of speculation, reading prospect profiles, and agonizing over ping pong ball odds, we now know the future.
The Columbus Blue Jackets will pick third, broken in a production glitch by the league, ESPN, and Kevin Weekes. Incredible.
3) Blue Jackets
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 9, 2023
Shoutout to Brad Larsen for winning a meaningless game and the NHL/ESPN for botching this production. It is absolutely embarrassing that the league cannot even announce a franchise-altering lottery order correctly. Unreal.
Also, the Chicago Blackhawks organization does not deserve Connor Bedard.
Heading into the night, here’s where the odds fell for the lottery.
Connor Bedard, a @WHLPats center, enters the 2023 Upper Deck #NHLDraft as one of the most anticipated prospects in years.
Odds, format and lookup tables: https://t.co/GRXwqkrxoZ
📺: 8 p.m. ET on @ESPN, @Sportsnet, @TVASports pic.twitter.com/Wn31t7YrHb
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 8, 2023
This draft lottery was the most hyped since Connor McDavid was draft eligible, and with good reason – Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli are potential franchise-altering players, while Leo Carlsson and Will Smith are solid prospects in their own right. Even Matvei Michkov, stuck in Russia for multiple seasons still, is regarded as a spectacular talent.
With the lottery now decided, all eyes turn to the NHL Draft for the next steps for the Columbus Blue Jackets franchise going forward. Who do you want to see the team draft? Do you have any reactions to the draft lottery? Sound off in the comments below!