It’s officially draft day! The 2023 NHL Entry Draft kicks off tonight in Nashville, with the next crop of future stars set to join the league. It’s such a foregone conclusion that Connor Bedard will be selected first overall that you’d be hard pressed to find any sports books willing to even offer a line on the young phenom.
Even Victor Wembanyama, the slam dunk, can’t miss, surefire, number 1 prospect in the world could be had at -50,000 odds at several outfits heading into the NBA draft. Connor though? Everyone seems resigned to the fact that the former Regina Pat will be wearing a Blackhawks jersey Wednesday.
From there however, that’s where things get interesting. With a solid crop of centre men, and high end European forwards also available, there’s a range of outcomes that could play out once Bedard’s name is eventually called.
Here’s what the oddsmakers think will happen after pick number 1 tonight.
2023 NHL Draft: Odds to be picked second overall
| Player | Odds to go second overall |
|---|---|
| Adam Fantilli | -550 |
| Leo Carlsson | +400 |
| Matvei Michkov | +2,000 |
| Will Smith | +3,000 |
| Ryan Leonard | +6,000 |
2023 NHL Draft: Odds to be picked third overall
| Player | Odds to go third overall |
|---|---|
| Leo Carlsson | -350 |
| Will Smith | +250 |
| Adam Fantilli | +600 |
| Matvei Michkov | +1,200 |
| Ryan Leonard | +3,000 |
2023 NHL Draft 2/3/4 exact order odds
| Order | Odds |
|---|---|
| A. Fantilli, L. Carlsson, W. Smith | +125 |
| A. Fantilli, L. Carlsson, M. Michkov | +440 |
| A. Fantilli, W. Smith, L. Carlsson | +440 |
| A. Fantilli, L. Carlsson, D. Reinbacher | +700 |
| A. Fantilli, M. Michkov, L. Carlsson | +3,300 |
Coverage of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft begins at 8pm ET on ESPN and the NHL Network.
Photo: Kaiser Matias. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.