Chaos may be Imminent as we Near the NHL Draft

In the past few days there have been no shortage of hockey podcasts, articles, twitter rumblings, and conjecture surrounding what may happen at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville. One thing that we all know we can bank on though is that Connor Bedard is about to become a Chicago Blackhawk. Beyond that, it is starting to seem like anything is possible.

There has even been some rumors about #2 and Anaheim. Could they prefer Carlsson over Fantilli, or even swing for the fences on Matvei Michkov? While I have started to hear some of these rumors amongst my contemporaries, I fully believe it is all smoke with no fire. Adam Fantilli should be and will be their selection.

Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers however... I believe there is alot more fire to these signals we are all hearing. Already having traded Ivan Provorov it sounds like young star forward Travis Konecny is firmly available for the right price. Could that mean adding another top half of the first round pick? Perhaps. Either way, it appears that Briere and the Flyers will not be quiet over the next 2 weeks in terms of roster reconstruction. A complete tear down ala Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks could be imminent.

The Calgary Flames missed the playoffs to the surprise of many (not me, I picked them 19th, 13th draft position, to start the year) and now they are facing a similar situation as it's rumored that Noah Hanafin may prefer to be elsewhere. Star centerman Elias Lindholm too could be partial to signing with another team, though it's believed the Flames will over pay to try and keep him. Could they try and move pieces around during the draft?

The Pierre-Luc Dubois saga on where his eventual longterm home is may be one of the more intriguing developing stories as well. The long rumored Canadiens union may not happen as perhaps a team like the Kings make a push for the young center. His position and skill is not often available, so I would expect the Jets to take quite a few calls on Dubois.

Even some teams trying to escape the bottom tier of franchises may make some big moves. A team like Columbus that has made some big changes to their top 4 defenseman core could try and acquire a top 2 center by presenting a package of prospects and picks that a team can't ignore. Would Jarmo Kekalainen be so bold to risk the future for a player that only helps the "now".... well, with his job on the line admist his recent moves, I'd guess that answer is a resounding yes.

Even our own Chicago Blackhawks, will they try to secure a prospect in a higher tier then where they will draft at #19 by moving up in next Wednesday's draft? To see my tier list posted yesterday please click this paragraph.

With just 6 days until the draft, the rumors are certainly starting to swirl. My expectation is that picks inside the top 6 are in no way going to move per usual, but the Matvei Michkov situation starting at #7 could throw a big "wrench" into some GMs plans.

I will update this article as news breaks!