Oh to dream the impossible dream; Connor Bedard with the Vancouver Canucks. What would that take? Loss after loss after loss, that’s what. Because no one’s going to trade the pick to you.
It would have to be a lucky Canucks bounce in the NHL Draft Lottery.
Right now it’s looking like the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, and Anaheim Ducks will have the best crack at him, but one never knows where those lottery balls will end up.
The Canucks presently have the eighth worst point total in the NHL.
Canucks Tank?
How does one improve those draft odds? By moving out players and contracts earlier as opposed to later if the market and the return on the deals allow for it. And then lose a lot of hockey games. Of course, a managerial “tank” might not be what’s desired by ownership, the brass, or the fans, just to take a chance on something that’s not likely to fall into place anyway.
But wouldn’t be something if it did. The hometown kid.
Alright, enough daydreaming and spit-balling.
Canadian Record Breaker
Bedard has 34 points thus far when totalling his efforts from the 2022 and 2023 tournaments with two games to play. He’s already passed Eric Lindros’s Canadian career points record of 31 points, the career Canadian goal scoring record with 16, and the single year Canadian scoring record with 21 points and counting.
He’s 17-years-old in a “19-year-old tournament”. It was current Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle’s goal mark that Bedard surpassed.
“Shocked it took him this long,” Eberle said in the Kraken dressing room on December 31st after Bedard had tied his total of 14 goals. “You watch the talent that kid has, I’ve kept tabs on him just based on he’s playing in Regina, that’s where I played and obviously where I’m from so, winning the first overall (Western League) pick for the Pats and them getting that opportunity … if I was a kid in Regina I’d be going to every game just to watch him.”
Bedard propelled Team Canada to a semi-final against Team USA with his overtime winner in the quarterfinal against Slovakia when he skated around three defenders and juked the goalie.
“I saw (the Slovak defender) make a move and there was a lane to the net, so I tried to make my move using my instinct and luckily it went in,” Bedard said postgame Monday. “That moment was special for all of us. It was pretty cool to score that goal, but it was the quarterfinals and we still have a lot of hockey left. I am happy about the win, and like I said in intermission I was not really thinking about (scoring records). Obviously it matters, but for me it is about winning, and that is what we are here to do.”
“For me, those are players that come around every 15 years, he’s that special” Eberle added. “It’s been fun to keep tabs on him, obviously they’ve got some tough games coming up, but he’s a big time player, I’m sure he’ll come through.”
Puck drop for Canada against the Americans is a little after 4:30 pm pacific on Wednesday. Canucks fans will be watching the Canucks fan.
