Where Should Fantasy Hockey Owners Draft Connor Bedard In 2023?
Connor Bedard is supposed to be the next golden generational prospect in the NHL. Bedard put on a clinic at the World Juniors and the hype machine is full torque. When Bedard actually enters the NHL this upcoming year, how should fantasy hockey owners proceed?
I recently saw a column by SportsNet’s fantasy hockey guy, Michael Amato. Here’s what he had to say.
“While everyone was marveling watching Connor Bedard at the World Juniors, I posed a question on Twitter asking how high people would draft him in fantasy next year. The answers ranged from first overall, to second or third round, to between 75-100, and not at all. I think a lot depends on if you’re in a one-year league or a keeper, and what team Bedard ends up on. Out of all the teams near the bottom of the standings, I think the Vancouver Canucks or Anaheim Ducks would give Bedard the best chance at having a major immediate impact. Getting a chance to play with Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes or Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry would put Bedard in a great spot right away. My answer would probably be around 20th overall or late second round for a one-year and potentially top 10 in a keeper. Bedard seems like a generational talent in the mold of a Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin or Connor McDavid and locking him up on your roster for years to come makes too much sense. You’ll regret it if you pass up the opportunity. He’s just that good.”
The landing spot obviously matters so let’s start there. If Bedard has his way, the Canucks will be the team that lands the number one overall pick so they can select the hometown hero. Getting the chance to play with Elias Pettersson is probably the best outcome in terms of scoring output right out of the gate. If Bedard goes to a team like Arizona (that’s my prediction in an effort to rig it and create some buzz so they don’t have to play at Arizona State anymore) then his year one output will likely be much lower.
Also, I’m not sure the Ducks are a great spot. They’re DREADFUL (and also rank dead last in our last edition of the power rankings)! Maybe long term but not for the 2023-24 season.
Redraft leagues and keeper leagues should be approached very differently as well when it comes to Bedard. In keeper leagues, by all means pull the trigger as soon as you like. He’s the number one pick in any sort of rookie draft. If it’s a brand new keeper league, outside of Connor McDavid, sure, pull the trigger as soon as you feel the need.
However, when it comes to redraft leagues, I really want to push back on the premise that Bedard is a top 20 pick out of the shoot. With the floor of late second round? No way I’m doing that. Sorry, not sorry.
Bedard might be great but the NHL isn’t just going to be some walk in the park. If anything, what I’ve noticed is that fantasy experts get a little too horned up for the rookies entering the league. On ESPN’s fantasy hockey rankings prior to the start of the season, dummy Sean Allen had Marco Rossi, Owen Power, and Shane Wright ranked inside the top 175. All three players have been disappointing selections for fantasy managers. Rossi and Wright aren’t even in the NHL right now.
I understand that Bedard might be on a different level but this is still grown men we’re talking about. McDavid had 48 points his first year in the league. Leon Draisaitl had nine and then 51 the following year. Jack Hughes had 21 points and then followed it up the next year with 31 points. Bedard might be great but this takes time. For Bedard to be worth pick 20, he would have to put up a 90 point season year one. The Chinese farmer always says maybe but odds are, that ranking is wildly aggressive.
It remains to be seen where Bedard lands and how ESPN or Yahoo will rank him when next season begins. All I know is if you’re in a redraft league and you have to use your second round pick to grab Bedard, you’re asking to lose. No offense to the kid. He might be great but I’m not going to pull the trigger that high on Bedard when Tage Thompson and Jason Robertson were ranked in the 70’s prior to this year. Keep it in mind for when the time comes.
