Chicago Blackhawks win 2023 NHL draft lottery, get to pick Connor Bedard

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL draft lottery Monday night and with it the right to select Connor Bedard with the first pick, parlaying one of their worst seasons in decades into a potentially franchise-altering player. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly unveiled a placard featuring the Blackhawks logo at 8:22 p.m. EDT, signifying they had gotten the No. Chicago had the third-highest odds of winning the lottery at 11.5%, behind Anaheim’s 25.5% and Columbus’ 13.5%. “Everyone wants to win the lottery, then everything is your control, and obviously everybody’s talked about a special player at the top of the rankings. The strategy worked: Chicago lost 56 of 82 games to set up a chance at Bedard.