Connor Bedard will completely change a franchise. The lotto decides tonight.

The stakes for the NHL Draft Lottery haven’t been this high since 2016 when the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the drawing with the best odds to pick Auston Matthews and then won the lottery. 

Tonight another franchise will chance. Someone will get to draft Connor Bedard. 

Bedard scored 143 points in the WHL this season. The next closest was 107. He potted 71 goals. The next closest had 50. He was one of only two players to eclipse the rare two-points-per-game clip. He had 2.51, his competitor had 2.02.

Bedard isn’t a usual first-overall talent. His game is deeper and more diverse than each of the prospects that have come between him and Connor McDavid. He leaves the WHL and enters the NHL as one of the most NHL-ready scorers we’ve ever seen. 

The long-term upside is challenger for the best playe