Oilersnation Roundtable: Which team do you want to see win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes?

While the Edmonton Oilers and 15 other teams are getting set to make a run at the Stanley Cup, there are 11 teams out there hoping that the lottery balls land in their favour at the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.

Following a season in which he scored 71 goals and 143 points for the Regina Pats of the WHL, Bedard is viewed as a player who can single-handedly change the trajectory of a struggling franchise.

The Anaheim Ducks finished dead last in the league and have the best chance to win this year’s draft lottery with 25.5 percent odds. After that, the Chicago Blackhawks have a 13.5 percent chance, the Columbus Blue Jackets have an 11.5 percent chance, and the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks all have odds under 10 percent.

For this week’s Oilersnation Roundtable, we all gave our choices for where we’d like to see Bedard play.

This is tough because there are a bunch of different ways that I want this to go. On one hand, I think the Columbus Blue Jackets with all the firepower they have in place on that roster could actually be the team that turns this around the fastest if they were to win Bedard. I want to see him playing in big hockey games as soon as possible and if he went to Columbus, he could be doing that.

The possibility of him going to a big market or a Canadian team also sounds good. I think Chicago could use some suffering as a fan base, they’ve had too many good times recently, but if Bedard somehow landed in Montreal or Vancouver it would be cool. The league probably would like him to go to a team like Anaheim and not a Canadian club, but I don’t care what Bettman wants. It’d be fun to see him in Canada.

Ideally, he doesn’t wind up in the Western Conference. Connor Bedard would be a huge game-changer for a team like the Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks who are just toiling away with no end in sight, but it’s great for the Oilers to have these easy teams to beat up on in the Pacific Division.

In terms of an Eastern Conference team, it would be cool to see Bedard wind up with the Montreal Canadiens because it would light up the Montreal and Toronto rivalry. I think the Detroit Red Wings are also right around the corner from being a very good team and adding Bedard to that mix would be cool.

Of all the horrible teams that have a chance to get him, I think he would fit in best with what’s going on in Columbus. Playing with Gaudreau as your setup guy isn’t the worst fit for a guy that can snap the puck like Bedard. With some time and at-bats, that duo would be lethal off the rush and Columbus would have the makings of a killer first line.

What I actually think will happen, however, is that Chicago will win Bedard because we’re living in a simulation and the NHL would love nothing more than to see an original six team land the most coveted prize in the same year that they lost both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Yes, my tinfoil hat is on. It fits and looks great.

I hate to say it, but part of me does want him in the Pacific Division. Is it ideal for the Oilers as whole? Likely not, because we could be looking at Connor McDavid 2.0 here. But to be honest that’s part of why I want him in the Pacific Division.

Connor vs. Connor four times a year in the regular season alone? Sign me up. There’s been nobody for the league to market McDavid up against, and Bedard might be the next best thing.