Connor Bedard's World Juniors performance has NHL teams scrambling
Connor Bedard broke about every record possible in his performance at this year's World Juniors Tournament. With 9 goals and 14 assists for a total of 23 points in only 7 games, Bedard is the sole record holder for most points in the tournament's history.
Now, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Bedard's World Juniors will have an immediate impact on the NHL. If a team is currently well out of the playoffs, they have incentive to trade assets away earlier, lose more games, and have a better chance at winning the draft lottery.
It's nothing new - it's tanking. But with a generational talent at the top of the draft class, and many other extremely promising prospects following him, there's a great reason to tank this year. Bedard seems to be the type of player that could single-handedly carry a team's offensive weight, like the ability to put up McDavid-like numbers.
There's a few teams that could really stand to lose more games to increase their chances of landing Bedard. The Montreal Canadiens picked first overall last year, and with owning Florida's first round pick this year, they could have two chances of winning the lottery. The Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets are having abysmal seasons, and Bedard could instantly slot in as their first line centre for the foreseeable future.
Perhaps most interesting would be the Vancouver Canucks. After a brutal start to the season, they've turned things around enough to potentially play meaningful games down the stretch. However, they could also bite the bullet on the rebuild that's been teased for years, in order to increase their chances of landing their hometown superstar in Connor Bedard.
After last night's game Bedard gave a post game interview and when asked about himself he gave the greatest answer possible.
That's the signs of a true leader.
| POLL | ||
Would you consider Connor Bedard a Generational Talent? | ||
| Yes, he absolutely is. McDavid level. | 81 | 59.6 % |
| He's close, but not quite | 45 | 33.1 % |
| No, he's not in the conversation | 10 | 7.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
